Key Points

“Even the British didn’t treat our farmers like the BJP government is treating them,” said the former Chief Minister upon reaching the State Assembly to attend the ongoing monsoon session.

Over 130 farmers in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara have been booked by police for protesting over the shortage of urea fertiliser a few days ago. The police have booked all the farmers under charges of being anti-social elements. "Instead of providing fertilisers to farmers, the government has given only assurance, and now they have gone too far. More than 130 farmers in Chhindwara have been booked under the charges of anti-social elements. Farmers are being treated worse than criminals," Kamal Nath told IANS at the Assembly premises.

He said that the BJP government claims that there is no shortage of fertiliser in Madhya Pradesh, so why are farmers not being provided fertiliser, and why are farmers protesting? He reiterated that farmers across Madhya Pradesh, including in Chhindwara, have been struggling to obtain urea fertiliser for over a month. “Poor farmers stand in queues from morning to evening, they don’t get fertiliser, instead they are beaten up by the police. The practice of filing criminal cases against poor farmers for demanding fertiliser must be stopped, and the cases filed need to be withdrawn in a just manner," Kamal Nath said.

Meanwhile, he also slammed the BJP government, accusing it of having a negligible approach towards government-run schools in the state. Citing the School Education Department's reply submitted in the House, the Congress leader said that around 60 per cent of government-run school buildings are in a poor state.

"What is more shocking is that 1,300 schools are functioning without even a single teacher, while 700 schools have only one or two teachers. There are more than 2,000 teachers who have qualified exams and are waiting for their appointment. This is the real situation in Madhya Pradesh," Kamal Nath added.

- IANS