Delhi Assembly Elections 2025 | AAP, BJP face off over farmers' issues as Chouhan accuses Atishi govt of blocking farm schemes

Chouhan expressed concern over Delhi's failure to implement the Beej Gram programme, which offers benefits including seed distribution, testing facilities, laboratory infrastructure improvement, and assistance for seed certification agencies.

New Delhi: The BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party clashed over farmers' issues on Thursday, with Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan accusing the AAP government in Delhi of denying peasants the benefits of central schemes, an allegation that comes ahead of the Assembly polls in the capital.

In response, Chief Minister Atishi hit back at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying it should ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold talks with the farmers sitting on a fast unto death in Punjab instead of giving sermons.

She alleged that the condition of farmers was never as bad as it is under the BJP regime.

Former Delhi chief minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, in a post on X, also claimed that the BJP-led Centre is preparing to implement the three revoked farm laws "through the backdoor" by calling it a "policy". He said copies of the new "policy" have been sent to all states for their views on it.

In a letter to Atishi on Wednesday, Chouhan alleged that her government is depriving farmers of benefits under central schemes and urged her to keep political differences aside in matters of farmer welfare.

The Union minister said the Delhi government has failed to implement major central initiatives, including the Integrated Horticulture Development Mission, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana and the Beej Gram programme.

"I am writing this letter in sadness. You have never taken proper decisions in the interest of farmers. Your government has stopped implementation of farmers-friendly central schemes. Your government is not sympathetic towards farmers. Today, farmers in Delhi are upset and worried," Chouhan said in the letter.

Due to the non-implementation of multiple central schemes, Delhi's farmers are being denied crucial benefits, ranging from seed distribution to infrastructure development, he said.

The Union minister said the absence of the Integrated Horticulture Development Mission has prevented farmers from accessing benefits for nursery establishment, tissue-culture facilities, planting material procurement and post-harvest infrastructure.

In a separate video message, he alleged that the Delhi government has failed to submit proposals for implementing central agricultural schemes, effectively blocking benefits from reaching farmers in the national capital.

"The Centre stands ready with funds, but their release hinges on state proposals. Unfortunately, Delhi's government has not submitted any proposals, leaving farmers unable to access scheme benefits," Chouhan said in the video message.

He urged the Delhi government to set aside political competition for farmers' welfare, emphasising that many schemes operate on a 60:40 funding ratio between the Centre and states.

Responding to Chouhan's accusations, Atishi lashed out at the BJP, saying it should ask the prime minister to hold talks with the farmers sitting on a fast unto death in Punjab instead of giving sermons.

She said the condition of farmers was never as bad as it is under the BJP regime. "The BJP talking about farmers is like Dawood Ibrahim sermonising about non-violence," Atishi said, asking the saffron party to stop politics over farmers.

Farmers under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 last year after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces.

Kejriwal slammed the BJP, saying the saffron party would be responsible "if something happens" to the protesting farmers in Punjab, who are on an indefinite fast over a set of demands, including a legal guarantee for the minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal has been on an indefinite fast for more than a month and has refused medical aid.

The AAP-led Punjab government has termed the newly-announced draft of the "National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing" as an attempt for a backdoor entry of the three contentious central farm laws passed in 2020. The Centre had repealed the laws after a yearlong protest by farmers.

Kejriwal posted on X that while farmers are on a fast unto death in Punjab, the BJP is not talking to them due to its arrogance. The AAP supremo charged that the BJP-led Centre accepted farmers' demands three years ago but has now reneged on those. "Why does the BJP have such arrogance that it does not even talk to anyone?" Kejriwal asked.

"May god keep the farmers who are on an indefinite protest safe, but if something happens to them, the BJP will be responsible for it," he said in a long post in Hindi on the microblogging platform.

On Thursday, the apex court pulled up the Punjab government and said its officials and some farmer leaders are creating a false impression in the media that attempts are being made to break Dallewal's fast.

Punjab's Advocate General Gurminder Singh denied any such attempt to complicate the situation and said efforts are being made to persuade Dallewal to take medical aid, without breaking his fast.

Dallewal has been on an indefinite fast since November 26 last year to press the Centre into accepting the agitating farmers' demands.