Bihar: BJP stalls Assembly on paddy purchase, Jiten Manjhi blames poor weather

PATNA: Opposition BJP today forced adjournment of Bihar Legislative Assembly on the issue of government not starting procurement of paddy from farmers, but Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi defended his government and said it was due to inclement weather.

As the House sat for the day, Leader of Opposition Nand Kishore Yadav raised the issue and asked Speaker Udai Narayan Chaudhary to suspend all other business to take up the key subject for which his party had given a notice.

With Speaker disallowing the plea, BJP legislators trooped into well of the House and started shouting anti-government slogans.

The Speaker tried to bring order even telling them to behave properly so that school children visiting to see the hall of democracy should learn good lessons.

But, when all efforts went in vain, the Speaker adjourned the House first till 12 o'clock and later for the day.

The Opposition leader later told reporters in his chamber that the state government has not even opened purchase centres in many parts even by now much to the chagrin of farmers.

He pooh poohed Chief Minister's announcement of giving Rs 300 as bonus to farmers on every quintal of paddy and said even after a month notification in this regard has not come.

Yadav alleged that middlemen were benefitted from non start of procurement season and there has been reports of cheap foodgrains purchased from farmers going to Nepal through porous border and thereon to China.

He also questioned the Manjhi government's claim of making payment to farmers on purchase of their paddy within 48 hours and said as per arrangements the PACs (primary agriculture credit society) would procure grains from farmers to take it to State Food Corporation.

"There is no chance of a PAC reaching to SFC more than once a week so this claim of 48 hour payment is just a 'hawa bazzi' (hollow slogan)," Yadav accompanied by a dozen BJP MLAs, said.

But, Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi defended his government saying the delay in paddy procurement was due to bad weather condition which has turned the produce moist.

"The delay is not because of mechanism but weather conditions," Manjhi told reporters in his chamber.

On notification for bonus of Rs 300 per quintal, he said it was also because of delay in procurement process and said "the notification will come in a day or two."

He expected procurement process to go on a war-footing from first week of January with improvement in cold condition. On charge of smuggling of foodgrains to Nepal and from there to China, he said the government has no such information.

"But, I will get it probed and ask the agency manning Indo-Nepal borders to stop it," he said.