This story is from January 25, 2020

Opposition MLA gift-packslocusts, brings them to Rajasthan assembly in protest

In a novel protest, a BJP legislator entered the Rajasthan assembly building with a gift-packed container full of locusts on Friday.
Opposition MLA gift-packslocusts, brings them to Rajasthan assembly in protest
Nokha MLA Bihari Lal with locusts at Assembly on Friday
JAIPUR: In a novel protest, a BJP legislator entered the Rajasthan assembly building with a gift-packed container full of locusts on Friday.
The unconventional protest was to highlight the Congress-led government’s alleged failure to contain the locust menace which played havoc with Rabi crops in western Rajasthan.
The dissent by opposition legislator and Nokha MLA Bihari Lal caught everyone’s attention.
He entered the assembly building with the container on his head accompanied by woman legislator from Anupgarh Santosh who wore a banner of demands by locust-affected farmers on her body.
However, all were left stunned after he showed the gift packed container of locusts. The grasshoppers have been damaging the agricultural crops in western Rajasthan. “It’s a gift sent by the farmers of border districts of Bikaner, Ganganagar and Hanumangarh to the government, which failed to protect them,” he alleged.
Speaking to the media, he said, “Farmers have suffered the worst. However, the state government seems all focused on protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Compensation should be distributed fast as the farmers have suffered heavy losses due to locust attacks on their Rabi crops.”
Nokha MLA Bihari Lal said, “Compensation should be distributed fast as the farmers have suffered heavy losses due to locust attacks on their Rabi crops.”

Farmers in 11 out of 33 Rajasthan border districts have suffered huge losses in the locust attacks, described as the worst in the last three decades. These insects had entered the villages in western Rajasthan crossing the Indo-Pak border. He said the loss to farmers has been estimated at Rs 80,000 per hectare. They have also demanded aerial spray of pesticides on locust swarms.
Farmers have been beating vessels, lighting fires and playing loud music through the day and night to drive the insects away, but without much success. The government has still not fully succeeded in containing the menace, despite spraying of insecticides.
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