Stray cattle menace: UP Congress seeks formation of ‘Kisan Aayog’ for farmers’ welfare

The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Saturday asked the Yogi Adityanath government to set up a 'Kisan Aayog' for the welfare of farmers whose crops are destroyed by stray cattle.

In a statement issued in Lucknow, state Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu said gaushalas (cow shelters) existed only on paper and the BJP government was doing nothing for the betterment of farmers.

"Owing to the destruction of crops by stray animals, nearly a dozen farmers have committed suicide in the last one-and-a-half months in the state. However, the state government has been unable to provide any help to the farmers," Lallu said.

"The government should pay compensation to the farmers for the damage to their crops caused by stray animals in the last three years," he added.

Terming it as the "biggest problem" that the state is facing, Lallu demanded that a Kisan Aayog (farmers' commission) must be formed at the earliest to provide relief to the farmers.

Rejecting the claims made by the Congress, UP BJP media co-convenor Navin Srivastava, said, "The National Commission on Farmers (NCF) was constituted on November 18, 2004, under the chairmanship of Professor M S Swaminathan, but they (Congress) never bothered to implement it."

"The BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi implemented the recommendations and raised the MSP of certain crops to 1.5 times," he added.

Hence, the Congress must introspect before levelling allegations against the BJP, Srivastava said.