Jind: Arvind Kejriwal, AAP national convener Saturday hit out at PM Narendra
Modi over his government’s crop insurance scheme alleging it has failed to
benefit the farming community and charged the NDA with dividing the society on
caste lines.
The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna (PMFBY) is aimed at
enabling farmers avail insurance cover against crop loss due to natural
calamities.
“Ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Modi promised crop
insurance scheme… Now, if a farmer’s crop gets destroyed, the insurance firms
refuse to give compensation to them saying that it is only applicable if over
70 per cent crop is damaged,” Kejriwal said addressing rally for the Jind
Assembly bypoll here.
The bypoll for the Jind seat is scheduled to be held on
January 28 and was necessitated following the death of INLD MLA Hari Chand
Middha.
Kejriwal claimed that Modi’s promises to benefit farmers by
way of crop insurance scheme have failed to yield the result and alleged that
the prime minister also did not implement the Swaminathan Commission report as
was assured by him before the general elections in 2014.
“I urge the electorate that if Modi and Haryana Chief
Minister Manohar Lal Khattar come to seek votes for the BJP, then ask them to
get these from insurance firms,” the AAP national convener said.
“In Haryana, if farmers approach Khattar for
compensation of damaged crops, they are told by the chief minister to go to
insurance firms,” he said.
The Delhi chief minister said that his government had been
giving a compensation of Rs 20,000 per acre to farmers for loss of crops due to
natural calamities.
He also accused the BJP of dividing the society on the lines
of caste.
“The BJP government at the centre and in Haryana has
been dividing the society on the basis of caste,” Kejriwal alleged, adding
that he had never seen the kind of casteism which he being followed during the
BJP rule.
“Khattar has sought votes in the name of being a Punjabi
during the recent mayoral polls in Haryana…now if he seeks votes in the name
of caste, I request the other communities not to vote for the BJP as it will be
their insult,” he said.
Kejriwal was addressing a rally in favour of Jannayak Janta
Party (JJP) nominee Digvijay Singh Chautala.
JJP was constituted after Ajay Singh Chautala, the elder son
of INLD supremo and jailed leader Om Prakash Chautala, was expelled from the
party for indiscipline. Ajay Singh Chautala’s sons – Digvijay and Hisar MP
Dushyant too were expelled from the INLD.
The power struggle within the Chautala family led to
differences between Chautala senior’s younger son Abhay Singh and his elder
brother Ajay. This is JJP’s first election.
Throwing his weight behind the JJP, Kejriwal said that people
used to make mockery of the AAP when it was floated in Delhi.
However, in the 2015 Assembly polls the party got 67 seats as
against three by BJP and nil by the Congress, he said
Claiming that the AAP has brought “revolution” in
education and health sectors in the national capital, the Delhi chief minister
alleged that the Congress and the BJP looted the country in turns.
“The entire country is looking at the result of the Jind
bypoll. If the people of Delhi can change the politics by bringing the AAP to
power, I am sure that the people of Haryana can bring revolution and change the
government,” Kejriwal said.
Asserting that he has high hopes from the young leaders of
the JJP, the AAP leader said his party decided to support the JJP as he found
its young leaders “selfless”.
“The JJP came into existence following a family
dispute… in today’s time everyone is selfish. If a dispute takes place within
a family, no one is ready to leave the party and it’s symbol,” he said
referring to Dushyant handing over the INLD to the party’s “veterans”
(Om Pakash Chautala).
“Dushyant and Digvijay took no time in giving their
right over the INLD and it’s symbol…the day they decided it I realised that
they are selfless and respectable people,” Kejriwal said.
Dushyant and Digvijay, in their turn, heaped praises on
Kejriwal and his work while projecting him the next prime minister.