Bhubaneswar: The ruling BJD and the BJP, on Friday, took to the streets taking up various famer issues, including hike in paddy MSP and farm loan waiver.
Protesting the hike of Rs 80 in paddy minimum support price (MSP) by the Centre, BJD party activists staged a demonstration and held a protest meeting in front of the Raj Bhavan here. The activists alleged that the move shows the anti-farmer policy of the Centre and its promise to double the paddy MSP before the elections was just an ‘eyewash’.
They demanded that the Centre approves the state government recommendation of increasing the MSP of paddy to Rs 2930 per quintal. Later, activists of the BJD farmers’ wing led by Agriculture Minister Damodar Rout and Panchayati Raj Minister Pradip Maharathy submited a memorandum to the Governor addressing the President.