Opposition targets government over plight of farmers in Bundelkhand

New Delhi: After the grim realities of Bundelkhand region in Uttar Pradesh were exposed, the political parties are sparring over the issue.

The Congress has hit out at the Narendra Modi government for not doing enough for the farmers of Bundelkhand. Congress Spokesperson Randeep Surjewala has said that his party under the leadership of Rahul and Sonia Gandhi will press the government to take effective action.

The CNN-IBN ground report had emphasised on how Bundelkhand residents have been living on meagre means because of the drought.

"Let me first of all say that CNN-IBN has done human service by bringing to attention of the entire country including the political parties to the pitiable condition in Bundelkhand and inhumane condition in which people continue to live in the entire Bundelkhand belt. We will ensure, agitate, force the government to intiate to take effective steps to restore normalcy in the region," Surjewala said.

The Bundelkhand Development Authority has also admitted to its mistake saying that more could have been done to avoid the crisis.

Bundelkhand Development Authority chairman Ramkrishna Kusmaria said, "It is a great work done by CNN-IBN, I congratulate the team for showing the plight of Bundelkhand region. We will take up this issue and try to slug in the loopholes. We are accepting that enough is not been done as yet. We need to create more jobs in the area, need more irrigation facilities so that migration can be stopped."

Meanwhile, 17 MLAs from Uttar Pradesh have left for Japan, Australia and New Zealand for a 'study tour'of 18 days at a time farmers in Bundelkhand are battling severe famine and children there are staying alive by eating rotis with salt.

When CNN-IBN asked the Speaker why they were going on a 'study tour' when there is back to back drought in Bundelkhand he said, "The tour is for the benefit of Bundelkhand."

It is reliably learnt that the MLAs are out on a sight-seeing tour of these countries and that most of the expenses will be born by the state government.

The Akhilesh Yadav government has come under flak from the opposition for allowing the trip at a time the people of Bundelkhand are struggling to get one square meal a day.