Posters mocking BJP’s D Arvind on turmeric board promise surface in Nizamabad

During the 2019 Parliament elections, Arvind, who was the BJP candidate from Nizamabad, Union Minister Rajnath Singh and senior leader Ram Madhav had promised turmeric farmers to set up a Turmeric Board

Nizamabad: With the BJP-led union government continuously rejecting Telangana’s appeal to sanction a turmeric board in Nizamabad and the failure of BJP MP from Nizamabad, D Aravind, to keep his promise of getting the board approved, turmeric farmers have set up “yellow boards” across the district, mocking the MP about his assurance.

During the 2019 Parliament elections, Arvind, who was the BJP candidate from Nizamabad, union Minister Rajnath Singh and senior leader Ram Madhav had promised the turmeric farmers to set up a Turmeric Board. Arvind had even promised on a judicial bond paper that he would prevail upon the Union Government and get the turmeric board approved within five days of winning the elections in 2019. He also promised that he would resign if he failed to get the turmeric board for the benefit of farmers.

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However, despite repeated pleas from the Telangana Government and farmers, the union Government has kept rejecting the appeals, citing different reasons.

Reminding the Nizamabad MP of his poll promise, posters and hoardings mocking the BJP, with Telugu text read, ‘Turmeric Board. Turmeric Board brought by our Nizamabad MP’, surfaced across the district. This was after the union Government on Wednesday said in the Lok Sabha that there was no proposal to set up turmeric board.

In reply to a question raised by BRS MPs, on the constraints that the Centre was facing to set up the Turmeric Board in Nizamabad, union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel said: “Spices Board, a statutory autonomous body, set up under the Spices Board Act, 1986 is entrusted with the responsibility of promoting 52 spices including turmeric, coriander, and chilies. Therefore, there is no proposal to establish a Turmeric Board or any other spice-specific Board in the country.”

Taking serious objection to the BJP government’s stand on the issue, BRS MLC and former Nizamabad MP K Kavitha had earlier questioned Arvind about his promises to bring the turmeric board to the district in 2022. Kavitha said Arvind had been unsuccessful in convincing the union government to set up a turmeric board in the district. In the light of disclosures produced using an RTI, Kavitha asked the BJP MP the justification for denying the farmers and people of Nizamabad their basic dues.

She also said the MP was making exaggerated claims about the allocation of Rs.100 crore when, under his administration, every farmer only received Rs.200 from the turmeric board.