There is a growing undercurrent in west Uttar Pradesh against the “failures” of the Modi government

The Congress highlighted concerns like the “neglect” of sugarcane farmers and examination paper leaks on Friday, claiming that a “silent undercurrent” against the “failures” of the Modi administration is growing across western Uttar Pradesh.

Prior to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s electoral rally in Amroha, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh criticised the federal administration, which is governed by the BJP.

“My questions for the PM when he travels to Uttar Pradesh today are: Why has the BJP ignored the state’s sugarcane farmers? Why is the Ganga still India’s most polluted river, even after 20,000 crores of rupees? He questioned, “Is Modi Sarkar taking any action to stop document leaks?

Speaking further on the “jumla details” he had claimed, Ramesh stated that even though Uttar Pradesh is the country’s leading producer of sugarcane, the BJP government has “neglected” the demands of farmers for a rise in market price.

Prices in UP are at Rs. 360 per quintal, much less than the Rs. 386 per quintal in Punjab and the Rs. 391 per quintal in Haryana. Price increases have also fallen short of inflation, he added, and farmers are now having difficulty keeping up with the growing cost of pesticides and fertilizer.

According to him, the area under cultivation has decreased by over 4000 hectares during the previous three years.

According to Ramesh, mills are finding it difficult to pay sugarcane farmers on time due to shortages, and there are worries that some may close their doors forever.

“The BJP administration is nowhere to be seen, despite the fact that this vicious loop is endangering the lives of mill workers and sugarcane farmers. In a post on X, he asked, “What is the double Anyay BJP government doing to support mill workers and sugarcane farmers in UP?”

Ramesh said that the government’s flagship Namami Gange initiative, which PM Modi had pledged would clean up the Ganga, had approved an expenditure of Rs 20,000 crore between 2014 and 2019, and that by 2021, 815 new sewage treatment plants (STPs) had been planned or constructed.

As is frequently the case with this administration, the Ministry of Jal Shakti claims that the condition of the river has much improved, but Ramesh called that assertion a “bold-faced lie”.

“The Sankat Mochan Foundation found that rather than improving, water quality in the Ganga has actually been degrading – faecal coliform bacteria levels are a staggering one million times higher than the permissible limit of 500 per 100 millilitres,” he said.

According to Ramesh, the Central Pollution Control Board also discovered that the norms for water quality are not being met.

“An IIT Varanasi professor said that the government’s plans were wholly “bogus,” despite the Ministry of Jal Shakti’s insistence that the new STPs are operating well. Additionally, the Congress leader said that “deficiencies in financial management, planning, implementation, and monitoring” were found in a 2017 CAG audit report on the project.

“To exacerbate the situation, STP contracts have been given to businesses who have a history of affiliation with the BJP. A business led by former BJP MP Subhash Chandra was awarded a 150+ crore STP contract in 2017 despite having no prior experience in sewage treatment, the accuser said.

“The Adani group runs another plant, and the Patanjali Organic Research Institute has been granted 5 crores for’scientific’ studies,” he stated.

Ramesh questioned what the Rs 20,000 crores spent by Indian taxpayers had accomplished, pointing out that the Central Pollution Control Board had named the Ganga the most polluted river in the country last year.

“More than 43 government recruitment test papers were leaked during Modi Sarkar’s rule, harming at least 2 crore applicants. The futures of 60 lakh candidates for the UP Police tests were most recently marred by the cancellation of the tests because of paper leaks, he claimed.

Ramesh said that the aspirations and desires of the young of India were at stake, not simply some figures.

“The Congress has pledged to introduce strong legislation that would create institutions and best practices to stop document leaks before they start under its Yuva Nyay Guarantee. “What plan does Mr. Modi have to rectify the harm inflicted upon our youth?” he said.

The real Lok Dal is still with India, even though the PM may have engineered the RLD’s flight from the INDIA bloc to the NDA, Ramesh said, adding that the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in West Uttar Pradesh was welcomed with posters and banners honoring Indira Gandhi and Chaudhary Charan Singh.