The Congress’ member of Parliament (MP) from Rohtak, Deepender Singh Hooda on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of being in indifferent to the sufferings of farmers in the country.

Addressing a worker’s meeting in Dabwali ahead of the fourth leg of the Jankranti Yatra which starts with a rally in Tohana on July 11, Deepender said farmers in Haryana and all across the country were suffering because of the indifference of the BJP government in the state and the center.

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He said with elections (LokSabha and Assembly) due next year, the BJP is attempting to project itself as being pro-farmers. “The truth is that the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission have not been implemented. The BJP should stop trumpeting lies about protecting the rights of the farmers,” Deepender said.

Accusing the state agriculture minister of spreading falsehoods on the issue, the Congress MP said the government should understand the truth.

The increase in minimum support price (MSP) was many times higher during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. “Mr Swaminathan has himself said that the increase is much below what he had recommended in his report. The BJP is trying to mislead the farmers as the input costs have gone up significantly, including the cost of diesel,” he said.

Deepender said the people of Haryana have made up their minds for change and believe only the leadership of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda who had fast-tracked growth in the state.He said the massive success of the first three phases of the Jankranti Yatra had shown the outpouring of support for the party and the leadership Hooda.

The Congress MP said the success of the first three phases of the yatra have left other parties sleepless. “They even have nighmares about Hoodaji but they must understand that this is not our power, it is the power of the people of Haryana,” he said.

Deepender said the outpouring of support for Hooda and the Congress in Hodal, Samalkha and Mewat was indicative of the acute distress that people are facing under the present government and how they remember the 10-year term of Hoodaji as the CM of the state.

Taking on the Indian National Lok Dal INLD), the Rohtak MP said the party’s opposition to the BJP is totally and completely fake. “Their movement to court arrests is fake, their being jailed is fake, their release was fake, their whole agitation was fake,”