Bhopal’s political corridors are buzzing after Congress MP President Jitu Patwari penned a damning letter to Prime Minister Modi on Thursday. At the center: a staggering 8,500 vacant positions in Madhya Pradesh’s agriculture department, fueling farmer misery.
Despite MP’s reputation as an agri-dominant state, Patwari decried the ‘burden of governmental apathy’ suffocating the sector. With 14,500 posts sanctioned but only half staffed, resolution of farmers’ issues—from irrigation woes to market access—has become impossible, he asserted.
Patwari lambasted the 2026 ‘Krishi Kalyan Varsh’ announcement as mere rhetoric, given the dire staffing shortages spilling into allied wings like horticulture and soil conservation.
Turning to Union Agriculture Minister and ex-MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Patwari questioned his legacy: ‘Two decades at the helm failed to build a robust agri machinery.’
The letter culminates in actionable pleas: swift vacancy assessment, state-directed hirings, and a national blueprint for strengthening field-level institutions to implement farm policies effectively.
This development highlights ongoing tensions between Congress and BJP over rural governance. As MP farmers face erratic monsoons and input cost spikes, Patwari’s intervention amplifies calls for accountability, potentially reshaping the discourse ahead of key agricultural cycles.