Farmers allege they were asked to cut crops for PM's event on new crop insurance scheme

Sehore, Madhya Pradesh: Farmers in Sherpur village here have alleged that they have been asked to cut their standing crops prematurely to make way for people to reach the venue where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to be felicitated for his new crop insurance scheme on 18 February. However, the BJP has denied the allegation. “An official yesterday asked me to chop down my green blade and this will inflict lakhs of rupees loss to me,” farmer Suresh Parmar (45) of Sherpur village alleged while talking to PTI today. [caption id=“attachment_2564552” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Reuters[/caption] “I am going to be left in penury,” he rued. Parmar’s brothers Dashrath Parmar and Rajesh Parmar said that the family owns more than five acres of agriculture land on which they had sown wheat. “We have laboured hard and were waiting to reap the crop, but the authorities have asked us to chop it off when it is not yet ripe,” they alleged. Denying the allegations of the farmers, BJP vice president Vinay Sahastrabuddhe today said, “Nobody’s crop has been damaged”. He was asked to comment on the government officials’ alleged diktat to some farmers to slaughter their green blade. Madhya Pradesh Farmers Welfare Minister Gourishanker Bisen had told reporters yesterday that no farmer has been asked to chop off his crop. Modi’s felicitation is scheduled in Sehore, the home district of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, on 18 February. PTI