Rajkot, June 17 (AHN) Gujarat Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Jagdish Vishwakarma on Wednesday accused the Congress of misleading farmers and using them for political purposes, while asserting that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government had focused on providing long-term solutions and direct support to the agricultural sector.

Speaking at a farmers’ conference organised in Gondal taluka of Rajkot district, as part of the BJP’s “Vishwas, Vikas and Jan Kalyan Abhiyan” marking 12 years of the Union government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vishwakarma said Congress was attempting to mislead farmers and divert them in the wrong direction.

“Today, Congress is doing politics in the name of farmers. This is the same Congress that had bullets fired at farmers during its rule, while the BJP government is moving forward on the path of giving farmers respect and security,” he said.

Vishwakarma said government initiatives over the past 12 years had brought significant changes to the lives of farmers.

"Various Central and state government schemes were helping ensure fair prices for produce, improving irrigation facilities and making agriculture a more profitable profession," he said.

Referring to procurement under support price mechanisms, he said that the PM Modi government had purchased agricultural produce worth Rs 26 lakh crore from farmers across the country during the past 12 years.

"In Gujarat alone, 17,41,287 metric tonnes of groundnut worth Rs 12,646.97 crore were procured last year. The state also purchased 78,420 metric tonnes of soybean worth Rs 417.82 crore, 3,044 metric tonnes of urad worth Rs 23.74 crore and 80,565 metric tonnes of tur worth Rs 644.53 crore," he said.

Highlighting the region's agricultural significance, Vishwakarma said the Gondal Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) records an annual turnover of over Rs 12,000 crore, reflecting the strength of Saurashtra’s farm economy.

The BJP leader also promoted natural farming, saying Prime Minister Modi was encouraging farmers to adopt the “Back to Basics” approach.

He urged farmers to use natural farming methods, modern technology and government schemes to reduce cultivation costs and increase income.

"The government was also working to ensure better market returns for naturally grown produce," he said.

Addressing water and irrigation issues, Vishwakarma contrasted present-day conditions with those during previous administrations.

He said there was a time when trains arriving from Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar carried water tankers rather than passengers and described it as an era of “tanker raj” under Congress rule.

He credited the BJP government and PM Modi’s leadership with ending that situation and expanding drinking water and irrigation facilities across Gujarat.

"Water scarcity had once forced women to travel long distances to fetch water and had severely affected farming communities, particularly in Saurashtra," he recalled.

Referring to the Sardar Sarovar project and the Narmada scheme, he said their implementation had transformed the state's water availability and agricultural prospects.

Earlier in his address, Vishwakarma praised the hospitality of Saurashtra and remembered Gondal’s former ruler Maharaja Bhagvatsinhji, describing his governance model as an example of visionary leadership in infrastructure, education, healthcare and public services.

He also said Prime Minister Modi had completed 12 years in public office leadership at the national level, amounting to 4,399 days of governance, and argued that welfare schemes introduced during this period had benefited people across social groups.

“Today there is perhaps hardly any household in the country where at least one person has not benefited from a government scheme,” he said.

On environmental conservation, Vishwakarma referred to the Prime Minister’s “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” campaign and urged citizens to plant at least one tree in their mother’s name.

State Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani also addressed the gathering and said the BJP viewed farmers as a priority rather than a political tool.

“The BJP has never intended to harm farmers and has worked towards permanent solutions to farmers’ issues,” he said.

Vaghani said an assistance package of Rs 11,000 crore had been provided to support farmers affected by unseasonal rainfall, describing it as an unprecedented measure.

He also said the Gujarat government had procured agricultural produce worth Rs 15,000 crore at support prices to directly benefit farmers.

“Whenever farmers have faced difficulties, the government has stood by them and will continue to do so,” Vaghani said.