Congress Rajya Sabha MP Shaktisinh Gohil has strongly criticised the Gujarat government for discontinuing the crop insurance scheme, saying it has left farmers defenceless against the devastation caused by unseasonal and incessant rains.
He demanded that the state provide full compensation to the farmers who have lost their entire crops and accused the government of ignoring farmers’ suffering while extending massive relief to industrialists.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday at the party headquarter of Gujarat in Ahmedabad, he said that if debts worth Rs. 21 lakh crore of industrial houses, including those who have fled the country, can be written off, there is no justification for denying relief to farmers who form the backbone of the rural economy.
He further said that Gujarat remains the only state where the crop insurance scheme is not operational since it was stopped in 2020, depriving lakhs of farmers of vital protection. Highlighting cases of farmer suicides in Bhanvad and Una following total crop failure, Gohil said the government’s negligence had deepened rural distress.
He demanded that the authorities immediately halt the ongoing “survey drama,” which he said has only increased farmers’ frustration, and instead compensate cultivators according to the actual plantation losses.
Recalling past measures under the UPA government, Gohil said that during similar crises, Congress had waived off farm loans worth Rs. 2,000 crore to provide relief to distressed farmers. He also reminded that the current Prime Minister had promised a nationwide loan waiver during the 2014 Lok Sabha campaign, but nothing has materialised even after 11 years. He questioned why the so-called “double-engine” government, which boasts of a Rs. 5 trillion economy, cannot take decisive steps to alleviate farmers’ debt burden.
Gohil added that Congress-led governments in Karnataka and Telangana have directly credited Rs. 16,000 to Rs. 8,000 per acre into farmers’ accounts, showing that genuine relief is possible with political will. He demanded that the Gujarat government follow this model, ensure immediate compensation, waive existing farm loans, and make fodder available for livestock to prevent further distress in rural areas.
To draw attention to the growing agricultural crisis, the Gujarat Congress has announced the Khedut Aakrosh Yatra, which will be held from November 6 to 13. The yatra will commence from Somnath Mahadev Jyotirling in Gir-Somnath district and conclude in Dwarka, traversing 11 districts of Saurashtra, including Junagadh, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Botad, Surendranagar, Morbi, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Porbandar, and Gir-Somnath. It will be led by Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Amit Chavda and Legislative Party leader Tushar Chaudhary. Gohil and party MP from Banaskantha Geniben Thakor will also join.
As part of the yatra, Congress leaders will visit farmlands to meet affected cultivators and document the extent of damage caused by unseasonal rains. Gohil will lead the segment of the march from Gadhada via Khijadiya Hanuman-Amreli on November 8.
The party aims to use the campaign to demand a comprehensive relief package and a 100% farm-loan waiver, pressing the government to act immediately. Patan MLA Kirit Patel has also pledged to donate two months of his salary if the state announces a complete waiver of farmers’ loans.
Responding to the mounting pressure, State Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani announced that procurement of groundnut at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) will begin on November 9, followed by urad, moong, and soybean. Farmers, he said, would receive delivery slots via SMS to streamline the process. However, Congress leaders have dismissed these announcements as too little, too late, insisting that what Gujarat’s farmers need is not token relief but comprehensive compensation and a revival of the crop insurance scheme.
Also Read: Unseasonal Rains Devastate Gujarat’s Farmers, Delay Winter’s Onset https://www.vibesofindia.com/unseasonal-rains-devastate-gujarats-farmers-delay-winters-onset/
