Congress leader P Chidambaram called it a 'cash for vote' scheme and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati termed it as an insult to farmers
Soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan), opposition leaders took to Twitter on Sunday to criticise the direct income support scheme for the timing of its launch and paltry amount of money to be disbursed.
Congress leader P Chidambaram called it a 'cash for vote' scheme and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati termed it as an insult to farmers.
In a series of tweets, Chidambaram said, "Today is Cash for Vote day. The BJP government will officially give a bribe of Rs 2,000 per agricultural family to get their votes." He added, "The money will go to the cultivating farmer as well as the absentee landlord," the former finance minister said.
"Nothing can be more shameful in a democracy than 'Bribe for Votes'. The greater shame is that the Election Commission is unable to stop the 'Bribe for Votes' (sic)," he said.
PM Modi launched the PM-Kisan scheme in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh on Sunday and transferred the first of the three Rs 2,000 instalments to 1.1 crore farmers. The scheme will cost the Centre Rs 75,000 crore and was announced in the interim budget, earlier this month. The scheme's target is to provide direct income support of Rs 6,000 per annum to small and marginal farmers whose land holding is up to two hectares.
BSP Chief Mayawati directly attacked the nature of the scheme and called it insulting to give farmers only Rs 500 a month and Rs 17 per day. She tweeted, "Rs 500 a month to poor farmers under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi is an insult of farmers. Farmers believe in their labour and want remunerative price of their produce but BJP mentality to give them little monetary help is atrocious and arrogant. BJP has failed to fulfill their promise (sic)."
She added in another tweet, "Giving @ Rs 17 per day to few farmers just before (the) Lok Sabha elections is pure hoodwinking. BJP reflects poor in their thinking towards farmers and solving their misery. BJP misused govt power & machinery in a brazen manner and still not hesitating."
THE SCHEME
PM Narendra Modi launched the PM-Kisan scheme in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh on Sunday and transferred the first of the three Rs 2,000 instalments to 1.1 crore farmers
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