I challenge BJP to declare data on quantity of crop being procured at MSP: Sachin Pilot

New Delhi: Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot addresses a press conference, at AICC HQ in New Delhi, Monday, Oct 22, 2018. (PTI Photo/Atul Yadav) (PTI10_22_2018_000034B)

Key focus areas for Congress, if it comes to power, in Rajasthan would be resolving the agrarian crisis and unemployment issue, Rajasthan Congress committee president, Sachin Pilot, told Moneycontrol's Tarun Sharma.

Moneycontrol team travelled with him the whole day across his constituency, Tonk. Pilot feels that Vasundhara Raje betrayed the people of Rajasthan. Edited excerpt: 

Q. While we travelled and interacted with farmers, they have mainly two issues. One, procurement at Minimum Support Price (MSP), and two, polluted water. How will you tackle these issues?

A. MSP announcement is the biggest fraud. There is no procurement at that price. Black marketers and hoarders have chains in government agencies. They announced MSP and now farmers wait for 4-5 days, after which the government agency says that we can’t take the produce since it is not up to the mark.

And just outside the mandi, farmers have to sell the produce at half the price. I can challenge BJP, they declare numbers on how much crop they procure at MSP. MSP grabs headlines but procurement does not happen. And it is a long term-process; why did the government wake up in the last six months of its tenure?

Q. What is your view about the Rs 50,000 loan waiver schemes for farmers? Was it just an eye wash?

A. That she has given only waive off only co-operative bank loan. For this also, the government has borrowed Rs 6000 crores from the Centre. She is borrowing to waive off something. On the other hand, implementation of the scheme was faulty, the bureaucratic layers of getting an approval for loan waivers are plenty. Hardly any people are getting benefitted with this scheme. It is a mere announcement and on the ground deployment of this scheme is almost zero.

Q. Congress is raising issue of farmers and unemployment but these are not new issues for the state. What is different this time?

A. Rajasthan's situation has never been so grim. Five years of Vasundhara Raje, full majority government with 165 Member of Legislative Assembly and clear majority in Center also. Sadly, she took this mandate for granted and core issues of people, of real development, were completely ignored.

Vasundhara made 611 promises and hardly any of them have been fulfilled. This time, the agrarian crisis in Rajasthan, it’s like you have never seen before. For the first time in Rajasthan history, 150 farmers committed suicide. Earlier also, farmers have faced drought or flood-like situation but have never felt the need to kill themselves. They see no future since they are not getting any support from Rajasthan government.

So, joblessness has become acute now. It is very young state we have lots of energy, lots of talent here. Educated young people are unemployed — just recently four young people killed themselves due to lack of job. That’s shattering, I think we are squashing the hope of whole generation we must introspect. Therefore, I am really sad to say that Vasundhara Ji has betrayed the mandate of people of Rajasthan.

The state is yearning for a change, certainly it will happen when people go out and vote on December 7. They are not only voting to vote out a government which is corrupt, inefficient and insensitive, but also a government that is locked in palaces or castles and totally cut off from the actual life.

The people of Rajasthan are looking up to positive blue print that congress is presenting in terms of what we can do for the state. We are talking about five years plan for Rajasthan, development plan or new beginning. To help the state break away from shackles of debt, which was Rs 1.4 lakh crores five years ago and is more than Rs 3 lakh crores today. The electricity loan alone is Rs 2 lakh crores. The state is in financial mess and Vasundhara Ji claims, she got this state out of ‘bimaru category’, but data gives a picture just opposite.

Q. What will be the main focus areas for congress if it comes to power?

A. There are 2-3 things, one is agriculture crisis or financial situation of farmers will have to be resolved. It is not just credit on loan, but also access to the market and availability of seeds. There is acute shortage of urea in Rajasthan; distribution is happening under police protection. You can imagine the desperation of farmers.

Why did Vasundhara ji wait for 4 year 11 months and 29 days — last day before code of conduct was supposed to be announced — to announce some sops for farmers? She knows that they will never be implemented because she will be voted out. So, farmers is the first issue.

Young people, after getting Phd or masters, are applying for fourth-class government job category. In Rajasthan there is major issue of unemployment and underemployment. In a few days’ time we will have the manifesto out.

We are looking at not allowing the State to give up all its assets which Vasundhara ji has done. In some cases, they have privatised schools and hospitals through public private partnership model, PPP model. If a government cannot provide right to education or healthcare, it does not deserve to be in power.

Q. The state government introduced Bhamashah Yojana to transfer benefits of government schemes directly to people. What will congress do if it comes to power?

A. Bhamashah Yojana has actually been a failure since it was overtaken by corrupt workforce. Insurance companies backed out of it as a cartel was formed by hospitals, brokers and individuals. It sounds very grand but implementation is far from satisfactory. BJP is very good in announcing things changing names, re-naming programmes but implementation is almost zero. There is no conviction to deliver, just rhetoric and propaganda.

Q. BJP said they will get 180 seats, now they are saying they will form the government. What is your party magic number?

A. Do you really expect that BJP to say that they are losing? I find nothing wrong if they pretend that they will get 180. They won’t concede defeat before the polling happens. But it is perfectly normal behaviour. Every single election including municipal, jila parishad, dairy, Member of Parliament, congress has won handsomely. That is to tell you why there is buzz on the streets that congress is firmly placed in Rajasthan.

It is not sudden development, all the leaders and workers have contributed. Five years ago, we started our campaign. Prakash Javedkar or Amit shah ji discovered land of Rajasthan recently — they never knew that it existed when there were floods, rioting, murders, rapes and mob-lynching. Where were all senior leaders for five years, now they have come to seek vote when it is election time.

Q. We have seen you doing campaigning, you have not touched regional sentiment issues like ‘Ram Mandir’. So, in future also development of ‘Tonk’ and ‘Rajasthan’ is the only agenda?

A. It is not, will it be the agenda? In fact it should be the agenda. Why should the agenda be — what religion you follow, what you eat, or what you wear? BJP boast about rhetorical stuff about development. Ask them about data, they have reduced spending on housing and social welfare scheme. Inter-mortality rate is higher than national average. Even in Vasundhara ji’s constituency 16 children died due to lack of food.

Q. Is it anti-incumbency against Vasundhara Raje or BJP that we are seeing today?

A. It’s one and the same thing. BJP can’t shrug off from its responsibilities, they made her the CM.

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