Bhopal, July 6 (IANS) The Opposition Congress in Madhya Pradesh on Monday accused the BJP governments at the Centre and in the state of failing to address issues related to education, farmers, governance and public accountability, alleging that students, farmers and the common people were bearing the impact of policy failures.

Addressing a press conference at the Pradesh Congress Committee office in Bhopal, former MP Meenakshi Natarajan said the BJP government had failed to protect the interests of students, farmers and ordinary citizens.

“The education system, farmers’ rights, the state’s land and the country’s faith are all facing a serious crisis. Congress will continue to raise these issues and fight for justice,” Natarajan said.

Referring to examination-related issues, Natarajan stated that repeated paper leaks in examinations, including NEET and RGPV, had created uncertainty among students.

She also criticised the Centre’s ‘One Nation, One Examination’ pattern, alleging that several irregularities had been reported during examinations and calling for greater transparency in the examination process.

On farmers’ issues, she alleged that cultivation costs had continued to rise because of higher prices of agricultural inputs, while farmers had not been provided a legal guarantee for the MSP.

She also questioned the Centre’s trade policy and urged the government to safeguard the interests of farmers.

Natarajan further demanded an impartial enquiry into the alleged land-related irregularities in Ujjain.

She also sought a probe into the allegations of financial irregularities linked to the management of the Ram Temple, saying institutions associated with public faith should function with complete transparency and accountability.

“Congress will continue to fight for students, farmers and the people of the state. Our objective is to ensure accountability and justice on issues affecting the public,” Natarajan said.

During the press conference, Madhya Pradesh Congress media in-charge and senior leader Mukesh Nayak said that repeated paper leaks had weakened the credibility of the education system and put the future of lakhs of students at risk.

Nayak also stated that rising prices of diesel, fertilisers, seeds, pesticides and agricultural equipment had sharply increased the cost of cultivation, while farmers were still waiting for a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP).

He further shared that as part of its outreach ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign, a bicycle rally will be taken out from Indore to Bhopal on July 14 and 15. It will also organise the ‘Chalo Delhi’ programme on August 9 to raise students’ concerns before the Central government.

–IANS

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