Cong to begin New Year with dharna against govt in Kharsia

Raipur, December 30, 2011 

The Congress will begin its New Year with dharna against the government in Kharsia on January 1, 2012. In its protest, the party will raise the issue of continuous suicidal incidents of farmers in the state. The dharna will be organised by Kharsia Block Congress Committee (BCC). PCC president Nandkumar Patel and CLP leader Ravindra Choubey will leave for Kharsia at morning on January 1.

The Congress has been raising the issue of farmers’ suicide for the past couple of months. It has continuously demanded from the government to provide Rs 270 paddy bonus to the farmers, free electricity up to five HP for irrigation, quality seeds, fertilisers and pesticides and compensation to those whose crops either had damaged due to floods or scanty rainfall in the year 2011.

The Congress alleges that the farmers were compelled to commit suicide because the government had not taken any initiative to help them to come out of deep financial crisis and debts.

The party leadership said that the recent suicidal incident in Kharsia in which a farmer of village Tiyur - Satish Kumar Yadav decided to end his life was a glaring example of farmers’ woes in the state.

The other party leaders who will participate in the dharna programme are party vice presidents Krishna Kumar Gupta and Pushpa Devi Singh, PCC general secretary and Raigarh Lok Sabha incharge Bhupesh Baghel, legislators of Raigarh district – Shakrajeet Nayak, Padma Manhar, Hriday Ram Rathiya and party’s all the office-bearers of state, district, morchas and cells living in Raigarh.