A small dispute between farmers and traders in Madhya Pradesh had snowballed into a major controversy and was being given a political colour, the state’s sports minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia said on Saturday.

She was addressing a press conference to mark the BJP’s ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ programme in the town.

Miscreants injured a policeman in the eye, which may have led the police to open fire on agitating farmers, Scindia said. It should not be misconstrued. Miscreants had resorted to violence in what was just a protest against the falling prices of agricultural produce, she said.

The minister said public welfare and the nation’s progress were the main objectives of the BJP government at the Centre. She said the Centre had laid more stress on transparency in administration. The minister said there was optimum utilisation of parliamentary time during the tenure of the present dispensation, with opportunity for free debate. Accusations and counter-accusations consumed much of the time during the previous regime, she said.

Training programme

The NDA government was implementing skill development training programmes aimed at enhancing employment opportunities for the youth, besides creating self-employment avenues, she said.
Encouragement for utilising made-in-India products was another focus area of the Narendra Modi government, Yashodhara said.

MP Bhagwant Khuba, MLA Prabhu Chouhan, MLC Raghunath Malkapure and other leaders took part in the programme.