Budget has nothing for PDA; US deal will hit farmers hard: Akhilesh

Lucknow: Participating in Budget discussion in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav came down heavily on the BJP-led NDA govt for "compromising the interests of the farmer community in trade deal with the United States" and the Centre's failure to offer any relief to the PDA community in the Budget. The SP had coined the political acronym of PDA (Pichhde, Dalits and Alpsankhyak) in the run-up to the 2024 elections and the move had yielded positive electoral results."PDA has been neglected in the Union Budget which completely lacks vision to lead India onto the path of developed nations by 2047, as claimed by the Centre. The govt has failed to address the concerns of PDA community, backward classes, Dalits, minorities, women, marginalised communities and youth. This, when the Centre continues to make big claims about development and global partnerships," he said.
Referring to the US deal, the Kannauj MP said it had put a question mark on the future of farmers. "The BJP promised to double their income, today one wonders what will happen to the farmers in the light of the US deal. When everything will come from abroad, what will our farmers grow in our country," Akhilesh said.The former UP CM questioned Centre's claims of setting up agri-infrastructure like building Mandis (farmer markets) on the ground that the govt has not acted on its earlier promises. "This very govt brought in three black farm laws and after innumerable farmers laid their lives, they (the govt) withdrew black farm laws and promised to formulate MSP law. But that hasn't happened till date," he said. "The Centre claims to have made progress in horticulture produce and dairy farming. If that is the case then the Centre must announce MSP guarantee for horticulture produce and dairy as well," he said. Referring to "unprecedented price rise", Akhilesh recalled how earlier even the poorest of the poor Indian was able to present a trinket of gold to his daughter on her wedding. Going by the way the prices of gold and silver are increasing, poor Indians will not be able to present a silver trinket today, or for that matter, even a brass plated iron trinket to his daughter in the days to come," the SP chief said. Dwelling upon the govt lack of focus on healthcare, Akhilesh said those who have life insurance policies should be aware how the premiums had shot up in the recent past confirming that overall price rise was at work. "Still the govt has provided for Rs 5,600 crore for AIIMS at Delhi alone while Rs 4,700 crore has been set aside for Ayushman Bharat scheme for the rest of the country," he said.Focusing on the recent demolitions at Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi, Akhilesh recalled how the statue of Ahilyabai Holkar was demolished using a bulldozer in the parliamentary constituency of "our Pradhan Sansad" (Prime Minister Narendra Modi)."If we sit down to count, not one, not two - as many as 100 temples were demolished by this very govt in Varanasi. To top it all, an antique bell gifted by Nepal Naresh to Varanasi is now missing," he said.