Rewa MP Janardan Mishra's remark on farmers draws protest from kisan bodies and Congress

Rewa MP Janardan Mishra has drawn protest from farmer organisations and Opposition leaders over remarks about how farmers work, made during a Govardhan Puja programme at Rakri village in Mauganj district. On Monday he had said that a farmer works hard for three months in a year and spends the other nine months on cards, Rajshree, bottles, chilum and "Jai Bhole".

A video of the MP's statement went viral on social media. Narendra Singh, Mauganj district president of the Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Mahasangh, then condemned it. He said it was an insult to the annadata, the food providers.

Narendra Singh said that on one hand the Madhya Pradesh government was observing a Krishi Varsh (agriculture year), while on the other, elected representatives of the ruling party were calling farmers drunkards and addicts. He described the MP's statement as irrelevant and illogical.

Narendra Singh asked whether any crop other than radish, vegetables and potatoes could be raised in three months. According to him, a farmer works in the fields all year, from sowing paddy through weeding, hoeing and threshing, and then on to the wheat crop. He also said farmers have to guard their crops against stray cattle and contend with problems such as a shortage of fertiliser and seed.

Sheikh Mukhtar Siddiqui, Congress minority cell district president for Mauganj and a janpad member, also called the MP's remark condemnable. He said a farmer toils in the fields 24 hours a day, and only then does grain reach the country's people. He said such language for farmers could not be accepted.

Virendra Mishra, Congress block president for Hanumana, said the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister call farmers annadata, while an MP of their own party insults them by calling them addicts. He called it an insult to the labour of crores of farmers across the country.

Protests have begun in Rewa and Mauganj after the remark made from the Govardhan Puja stage. Janardan Mishra has been in the news earlier too for his statements. Farmer organisations have warned that the protest will be intensified if the MP does not apologise for his words.

BJP MP Janardan Mishra had said in his statement that farmers today are no longer what they used to be. According to him, they have started to prefer comfort and work hard at farming for only three months of the year.