JD(U), BJP spar over farmers` meet

Patna: In a fresh round of exchanges between former NDA partners BJP and JD(U), the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar on Wednesday denied having received any letter from the Gujarat government inviting farmers to an agricultural meet even as the saffron party dismissed the statement as a lie. Bihar Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh denied having received a letter from Gujarat government inviting farmers to take part in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Agriculture Summit- 2013 at Gandhinagar on Sept. 9 and 10 and said that no farmer from the state would be sent there. "We have called a more important meet of agri-scientists, experts and farmers on Sept. 8-9 at the Sabour agriculture college to discuss the flood and drought situation. In such circumstances, "how is it possible to send our farmers to Gujarat", Singh told reporters here. He, however, denied having planned the Sabour meeting as a counter to the Gujarat summit saying that the Bihar event had been thought up almost four months back. But, BJP refused to accept the argument.

State party president Mangal Pandey distributed a letter from Gujarat government dated July 25 inviting 76 farmers from Bihar to participate in the agriculture summit in which more than 6,000 farmers from across the country would be taking part. PTI