Odisha BJP Dubs BJD’s Crop Insurance Issue A Ploy To Divert Attention From ‘Cash For Vote’ In Dhamnagar Bypoll

Bhubaneswar: Intensifying its attack on BJD, Odisha BJP on Monday accused the ruling party of trying to create confusion over crop insurance for farmers to divert people’s attention from its alleged involvement in distribution of money for Dhamnagar bypoll and Archana Nag’s honeytrap racket.

In a stinging attack on Naveen Patnaik-led party, state BJP general secretary Prithviraj Harichandan alleged that BJD is trying to shield its leaders allegedly involved in the death of Zilla Parishad member Dharmendra Sahoo and the lady blackmailer scandal.

This apart, the ruling party has been caught distributing cash to the voters to win their support in Dhamnagar Assembly constituency in Bhadrak district where by-election is scheduled to be held on November 3, he claimed.

“In order to divert people’s attention from all its wrong doings, the Biju Janata Dal is attempting to create confusion regarding payment of crop insurance amount to the farmers,” the senior BJP leader told media persons.

Stating that crop insurance scheme is aimed at providing compensation to the farmers in the event of crop loss caused by natural calamities or diseases, he said the Central government has prepared modified rules for resolving disputes over the payable amount between insurance companies and farmers.

As per the guidelines, such issues can be resolved by the state level technical advisory committee. The committee should include the principal secretary of Agriculture department, professor of a state university, senior official of the state remote sensing agency and a representative of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), he said.

However, the BJD government in Odisha has flouted the guidelines and appointed a director level officer while trying to resolve such issues in a ‘shameful’ manner, Harichandan claimed, adding the state in a letter to the Centre on September 16 informed that 189 cases of dispute on insurance amount were yet to be resolved.

After examining these cases, the Centre’s technical advisory committee will take a decision at a meeting on November 3, the BJP leader said, attacking the BJD government for unnecessary blaming the Centre over the issue.

“Blaming others for its own mistakes is BJD’s old habit. There has been delay in crop insurance money payment in some cases as the BJD government flouted the rules and guidelines laid down for the purpose,” he claimed.

It may be noted that the ruling BJD is staging demonstration near Raj Bhawan in Bhubaneswar and all district headquarters across the state on Monday, alleging central negligence in payment of crop insurance amount to the farmers.