Nagaur MP and farmer leader Hanuman Beniwal has demanded that agricultural equipment across the country be exempted from GST to alleviate the financial burden on farmers. Beniwal, founder and president of Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP), announced that he would raise this issue in Parliament.
Speaking in Bhiwani on Saturday, he criticised the BJP for being anti-farmer, accusing the party of waiving industrial sector debts amounting to ₹16 lakh crore while ignoring the plight of farmers, who also deserve debt relief.
Beniwal said that farming became an unprofitable endeavour, pushing farmers to take up daily wage labour under schemes like MGNREGA. He also revealed that his party’s core committee would soon decide which party to support in the upcoming Delhi elections, making it clear that the RLP will not align with the BJP.
‘Replace Agnipath Scheme’
The RLP leader also discussed his opposition to the Agnipath scheme, stating that he initiated efforts to abolish the program in Rajasthan, and is now planning a larger protest involving youth from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Delhi. The objective is to replace the Agnipath scheme with a system of permanent recruitment in the Armed Forces. Additionally, Beniwal reiterated demands for the creation of Ahir and Gujjar regiments in the Indian Army.
Discussions with Punjab CM on water issues
Beniwal shed light on his recent discussions with Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann regarding water-related issues between Punjab and Rajasthan. He emphasised the importance of ensuring timely water supply from Punjab to Rajasthan, particularly to districts like Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Nagaur, and Churu.
He also raised concern about chemical pollutants from Ludhiana’s factories contaminating drinking water in Rajasthan, leading to severe health risks for residents. Beniwal said that Mann assured that water treatment facilities would be utilised to address this issue, potentially with the help of a Canadian company.
Commenting on the hungerstrike by farmer leader Dallewal in Punjab, Beniwal urged the Supreme Court to instruct the central govt to engage in dialogue with farmers, as issues like loan waivers and Minimum Support Price (MSP) guarantees are beyond the capacity of state governments alone.
Beniwal welcomed Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s move to include the Jat community in the OBC category and stressed the importance of extending reservation benefits to all economically backward communities in Delhi. He accused the Haryana BJP govt of discriminatory practices against farmer-related communities and labelled it anti-farmer.
Source #TOI
