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Member of Parliament (MP) from Rewa, Janardan Mishra, on Thursday apologised for his controversial remarks about farmers, saying that the statement was "inappropriate", and also defended the BJP government against criticism from Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari over the issue.
Speaking to reporters in Gwalior, Mishra said, I have apologised for it and have expressed my regret that the sentence was not appropriate and I should not have said it. When asked under what circumstances he remarked, he said, 90 per cent of families in villages have been affected by substance abuse. This is a serious problem, and the challenge is how to keep society away from addiction. The Parliamentarians clarification comes after his remark, made during a Govardhan Puja event in his constituency, went viral on social media, triggered resentment among farmers and drew criticism from the opposition party. Farmers work for only three months in a year, while spending the remaining nine months playing cards and having things such as Rajshree (Pan Masala), bottle (liquor) and chaungi (referring to weed)... the BJP MP had said while addressing the event. Earlier today, Congress Chief Jitu Patwari targeted the BJP and accused them of being anti-farmer. Reacting to Patwaris criticism, Mishra defended the BJP governments record on agriculture, citing consecutive national agriculture awards, expansion of irrigation facilities and round-the-clock electricity supply to farmers. If this is an anti-farmer government, how did it receive agriculture awards continuously for seven years? How did the irrigated area increase from seven hectares to 50 lakh hectares? They (Congress) did nothing for farmers. The BJP government is receiving awards for its work in agriculture across the country. The irrigation area has been increased, and we are providing 24-hour electricity. No other government has done as much for farmers as our government has, Mishra said. On Thursday morning, Speaking to reporters in Bhopal, Patwari had accused the BJP of being traditionally anti-farmer and alleged that its leaders remember farmers only when they need their votes but insult them after coming to power. The BJP has traditionally been anti-farmer. In its thinking, farmers have always been placed at the bottom of the priority list. Whenever the party needs votes, its leaders talk about farmers and mislead them. After forming the government, they go on to insult them. This is not the first such instance involving BJP MP Janardan Mishra. He has previously made several controversial statements and has become known for making such remarks, Patwari said. The Congress leader further criticised the state governments decision to observe 'Kisan Kalyan Varsh', questioning the purpose of the initiative when a BJP MP was allegedly insulting farmers. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav is observing 'Kisan Kalyan Varsh', but at the same time, his government seems determined to subject farmers to hardship every day. Is this what their Farmers' Welfare Year is about, when one of their MPs calls farmer drug addicts? Farmers, wake up. The Bharatiya Janata Party is ideologically anti-farmer, Patwari said. He added that there would be no compromise on the dignity of farmers. (ANI)
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