Top priority is to free farmers from clutches of middlemen: Upendra Kushwaha

Patna: Former Union Minister and NDA nominee from Karakat Lok Sabha seat Upendra Kushwaha has voiced concern over farmers of his constituency in particular and Bihar in general not getting minimum support price and being vulnerable to middlemen.

The Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief said the economy of my constituency in particular and Bihar in general is agriculture-based. Paddy, wheat and maize are the main crops. This area is called the rice bowl of Bihar.

"My top priority is to ensure a better price for the produce of the farmers and also free them from the clutches of middlemen," Kushwaha told PTI in an interview.

"The NDA government at the Centre, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has taken several steps to ensure the elimination of middlemen and to guarantee better prices for produce of the farmers. Steps have been taken to empower farmers and provide them with the benefit of modern technology. The NDA government gives 100 per cent guarantee for protection of the farmers' interests," he said.

Kuswaha said our PM is committed to the welfare of villages and farmers of the country.

"Protection of farmers' rights at any cost is the top priority of the Central government. I am making farmers of my area aware of the steps taken by the Central as well as the state government", said Kushwaha expressing confidence that his party will do its bit in ensuring victory of the BJP-led coalition in all 40 Lok Sabha seats of the state.

Kushwaha-led Rashtriya Lok Morcha has its base among the Kushwahas or Koeris, a dominant other backward caste (OBC) in Bihar.

Earlier, Kushwaha, who had floated the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) in 2013 merged the party with JD(U) eight years later, fought the 2014 Lok Sabha polls as an NDA partner and became a minister in the first Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre.

Later, he merged his party with the JD (U). However, in February 2023, Kushwaha resigned from all positions in JD (U) and formed his own party called Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM). Now, his party is part of the NDA alliance in Bihar and contesting from Karakat Lok Sabha seat.

As part of the seat-sharing arrangement in the NDA, the BJP is contesting on 17 seats, the JD-U 16, the LJP-R of Chirag Paswan five and the HAM-S of former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi and the RLM one each.

Maintaining that there is no alternative to PM Modi in the country, Kushwaha, said, "The NDA under the leadership of PM Modi will win more than 400 Lok Sabha seats in the country and all 40 parliamentary seats in Bihar. There is no alternative to PM Modi in the country at all."

Further explaining his future plans for Karakat constituency, the RLM chief, said, "This area needs major industries so that villagers don't go outside Bihar to get better employment opportunities. When I was union minister, I had planned to start several major industries in the area…but it could not take shape because of certain reasons.

"Now, I assure my voters that the NDA government under the leadership of Modi ji will open major industries in this area in the coming years, which will provide a lot of employment opportunities to the people."

When asked about Bhojpuri singer and actor Pawan Singh's latest announcement that he would contest the Lok Sabha poll from Karakat seat, Kushwaha refused to comment.

Singh had recently announced on X that he would contest Lok Sabha polls from Karakat. Singh's announcement came a month after he had declined to contest the polls from West Bengal's Asansol constituency as BJP nominee. He was initially named in the BJP's first list of candidates for the upcoming general elections.