Mayawati attacks BJP government over farmers' cane dues

BSP supremo Mayawati Monday hit out at the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh over rising cane arrears to farmers, asking why it cannot act tough against the erring sugar mill owners.

"How can the UP sugarcane farmers be happy and prosperous when their arrears amount to Rs. 10 thousand crores ? This is a matter to ponder on. Anti-farmers and pro-capitalist BJP government need not make wrong claims," Mayawati said in a tweet.

"Why is BJP not acting tough against the mill owners like the BSP government and getting all the arrears of the farmers cleared?" she asked.

On Sunday, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra attacked the Uttar Pradesh government over unpaid dues of sugarcane farmers and alleged that 'chowkidars' (watchmen) were only working for the rich and are not bothered about the poor.

She had also shared a media report on Twitter that claimed the dues of sugarcane farmers had crossed Rs 10,000 crore in the state.