Bharatiya Kisan Sangh blames paddy farmers' anger for BJP's Nagpur graduates' seat defeat

The BJP lost the Nagpur division graduates' constituency in the Legislative Council elections. Following the defeat, the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, an organisation linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, has put forward its analysis. The organisation says one major reason behind the surprising result is the anger of paddy-growing farmers and their educated children with the government.

According to the Kisan Sangh, five of the six districts in the constituency are paddy-growing. Nana Akhare, the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh's all-India organic head, reacted to the result. He said the parties in power should remember that their support base is slowly shrinking.

According to Akhare, farmers have many problems, yet there is a feeling among paddy growers and their educated sons that not much has been done for farmers in the past few years. He said this is why resentment against the BJP showed up in the voting in the Council election.

Akhare also said that farmers in the paddy belt have repeatedly demanded a paddy bonus from the state government. They submitted memoranda, held agitations and took out marches. Despite this, according to Akhare, the present state government has not said a word on the paddy bonus.

Akhare said that today every farmer's household in the paddy belt of eastern Vidarbha has graduate children, and farmers feel the government does not think about them at all. According to him, these educated youths understand the difficulties of their farming parents. In his view, the youths' anger was reflected in the election result.

Akhare said that the party their farmer father voted for, the son need not vote for as well. He said farmers are not among the government's priorities. In his words, strange functioning is going on at present, and because of this thousands of educated youths from farming families in the paddy belt are angry with the government.

Finally, Nana Akhare also gave a veiled warning. He said that if those currently in power want to remain in power, they should become alert in time.