PM may woo farmers to combat Opposition attack

BHOPAL: Distressed farmers in Madhya Pradesh see a ray of hope to overcome the agrarian crisis that has agonised them for the past few years as Prime Minister Narendra Modi makes his maiden visit to Sherpur in Sehore district to address a farnmers convention on Thursday.
State government and BJP is hoping that some five lakh farmers would turnout to felicitate Prime Minister who is set to address farmers and inform them about new crop insurance scheme or 'pradhan mantri fasal bimah yojana', that aims to insure farmers against crop damage.
Modi, is stepping into the state to launch the scheme at a time when farmers are facing a severe drought condition.
With the state government being hailed for its feats in agricultural sector and receiving 'Krishi Karman Award' for the fourth time in a row, Shivraj owes his success and government's improved performance to Modi and his policies. Opposition though, see Shivraj's plan to felicitate Modi merely as a ploy to save his back against many odds but, Shivraj's success in winning the Maihar bypoll has only added more feathers to his cap.
As Shivraj says, "Modi's politics have a landmark effect on poor and farmers. This is a unique scheme and farmers thanks him for such initiative." He reiterated, "PM Modi's rally will be a historic event."
Madhya Pradesh is the first among four states where Modi will hard-sell his government's initiatives aimed at the farm sector in a bid to blunt the unrelenting attacks from opposition. Most political parties call NDA government 'pro-corporate' while criticizing its land acquisition and agriculture policies. To do away with this tag, Modi also shifted the venue to countryside, from Bhopal to village Sherpur.
Selecting Sherpur for PM's grand convention has other political reasons too, preferably being a BJP bastion, snatched by Congress during previous assembly elections. The village is surrounded by two constituencies Ichchawar and Sehore where BJP had it's traditional vote bank since last five years. Former minister Karan Singh Verma and senior politician Ramesh Saxena had never ever let Congress wrest the seat all these years.
But despite Modi wave in 2013, Verma lost the seat to Shailendra Patel of Congress and Saxena to Sudesh Rai, a former Congressman, who is an influential liquor baron in the region. Rai is now supporting BJP as an independent candidate and is expected to come to join the party fold very soon. Eyebrows were also raised to see Rai at Sherpur village with chief minister Shivraj Singh, who plans to make him join BJP in the presence of Modi.
This is the same district whose native Dilip Singh Malviya- a mason, for constructing more than 100 toilets free of cost. Modi mentioned Dilip Singh's contribution in his 'Mann ki Baat' and made him a hero all over the country.
To make the grand felicitation more impressive, farmers have been called in traditional bullock carts and attire. A village fair (heat) will also entertain and inform farmers about Centre's policies. During the rally, suit and tie-clad officials have been asked to remain away from the stage as the look is entirely folkish.