Bhubaneswar, Sept. 16: Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik today criticised the state government for neglecting the farmers.

'Chief minister Naveen Patnaik and his government have turned a blind eye to the demands of the farmers, while it has been effecting salary hikes of people from various sections of the society, including the government employees, MLAs and teachers,' said Patnaik.

'The government should plan a comprehensive package for the agriculture sector with an outlay of a minimum Rs 1 lakh crore,' Niranjan, who is now being tipped to take over the Congress party's state unit, said.

Stating that the agrarian crisis was deepening because of severe drought conditions in the rural areas, he added: 'Addressing the problems of the farmers, especially the distress sale of their produce, should be the first priority of the government. Instead, Naveen has increased his own salary and those of his ministers, MLAs and others.'

Dismissing the plea of the state government about the financial crunch, Niranjan said: 'In the next three months, the state government will get nearly Rs 17,000 crore from mine owners for illegal mining. Besides, the government will get an additional Rs 30,000 crore to Rs 40,000 crore from Mahanadi Coalfields Limited for excess mining. The auctioning of mines will fetch another few thousand crores to the state exchequer.'

He also criticised the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre for its alleged apathy towards farmers.

'The Modi government has money for bullet trains and has been shouting from the rooftop that removing poverty from east India is its priority. Let the Union government prove that their money is for farmers who feed millions of fellow countrymen,' he said.