Akhilesh Yadav slams BJP government over plight of tomato farmers in UP

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav on Monday hit out at the BJP-led government in Uttar Pradesh, alleging that tomato farmers are not even able to recover their input costs, highlighting the government's "neglect" of the farming community.

In a post on social media platform X, Yadav wrote, "The fact that tomato farmers in UP are not able to recover even their basic costs shows how much the BJP government neglects agriculture and farmers. The BJP is not interested in boosting production but rather in promoting the buying and selling of goods, so that they can earn (as an intermediary)."

He further alleged that the BJP's approach to both the economy and politics is centred around intermediaries.

"BJP wants to hand over farmers' lands and businesses to corporates on a wide scale so that they can extract hefty donations from them," he alleged.

Citing the now-repealed farm laws, Yadav said, “The black laws brought by the BJP government were proof of their ill intentions. But thanks to the awareness and unity of the farmers, these laws could not be implemented."

He also blamed the BJP for the stray cattle problem, saying it was a direct result of the party's "flawed policies." "These abandoned animals destroy crops, discouraging farmers from continuing agriculture. This paves the way for BJP-backed corporates to capture agricultural land," he said.