Under Modi, farm income has halved, agri cost has doubled, says Chhattisgarh CM

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday said the Narendra Modi government halved farmers' income and doubled agricultural cost in its nine-year rule.

He was reacting to the Central government announcing a hike in in MSP (minimum support price) on Thursday.

During the Congress-led UPA regime (between 2004 and 2014) MSP on paddy was increased by 131 percent, while the Modi government has increased it by just 61-62 per cent, Baghel told reporters at Civil Lines Helipad.

''The income of farmers in India has not doubled but the cost of agriculture has doubled. Rates of diesel, fertilizer and agriculture equipment have gone up. Production cost has increased and income (of farmers) has been halved,'' he alleged.

Hitting back at former CM Minister Raman Singh's charge that development work has happened only in his home turf Patan and Durg, Baghel said corruption took place even in ration card and slipper distribution during the Bharatiya Janata Party's tenure.

''Raman Singh was chief minister for 15 years. But for his Assembly seat I had to sanction road construction work. In his (Raman Singh's) tenure few bridges used to get damaged and tenders were floated for the same work again and again. In his (Raman Singh's) constituency bridges and stop dam had collapsed,'' CM Baghel said.

Reacting to Union Panchayati Raj Minister Giriraj Singh's jibe that Baghel was not 'kaka' but ''kha kha'' (alluding to bribery), the CM said such a statement was akin to mocking people who use the term for him affectionately.