Bhubaneswar, June 23: Archrivals BJD and BJP today staged demonstrations on issues pertaining to farmers.

While the BJD staged a demonstration in front of Raj Bhavan protesting the hike of Rs 80 in minimum support price (MSP) for paddy by the Centre, the BJP held agitations at all district headquarters across the state demanding crop loan waiver and interest-free credit for the farmers.

Agriculture minister Damodar Rout said: "The hike in the minimum support price was too meagre. It's blow to the farmers and shows how little the Modi government is concerned about the peasants."

BJD peasant cell convenor Sushant Singh, who is also a minister, said: "We have submitted a memorandum to the governor urging the Centre to reconsider its decision and raise the minimum support price considerably. If the Centre does not reconsider its decision, the agitation will intensify in the coming days."

Alleging that the MSP hike by only Rs 80 per quintal shows the Centre's anti-farmer policy and its promise to double the paddy MSP before the elections was just an eyewash, the BJD activists demanded that the Centre should increase the MSP of paddy to Rs 2,930 per quintal.

On March 25, the Odisha Assembly had passed a unanimous resolution urging the Centre to raise the minimum support price to Rs 2,930 per quintal. However, the Union government has hiked the MSP by Rs 80 per quintal from the existing rate of Rs 1,470 per quintal.

BJP spokesperson Golak Mohapatra, however, said the BJD was just playing politics. "The BJD is depending on Centre for everything. It could have paid a bonus to the farmers."

BJP Krusak Morcha, on the other hand, staged a demonstration in front of all the district collectors' offices today demanding crop loan waiver and interest-free loan to farmers.

Morcha state president Sivaji Mohanty questioned why the Odisha government had not waived farm loans when states such as Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra had already announced loan waivers for farmers. The Centre has already announced 4 per cent subsidy on crop loans, he said.

"While farmer-related issues are the joint responsibilities of the state and the Centre, the BJD government in the state is not taking any responsibility. The BJD leaders are only criticising the Centre," said the BJP leader asking the BJD leaders to make its stand clear on loan waivers.

BJD leader Sanjay Das Burma said the party would make its stand clear on loan waivers tomorrow. "But let the Centre make its stand clear on other issues involving Odisha's interests."