BHUBANESWAR: BJD president and chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday roped in senior party leader and Rajya Sabha member Prasanna Acharya as president of the Biju Krushak Janta Dal (BKJD), the farmers’ arm of the ruling party.The decision came three days after Naveen attributed farmers distress as the major reason behind BJP’s drubbing in the just-concluded assembly elections in three states.Acharya replaced energy minister Susanta Singh , who was earlier appointed as convener of the wing. State health minister Pratap Jena is the new secretary of the BKJD, said a party source.A native of Bargarh, the largest paddy producing district in Odisha, Acharya is perceived to help the ruling BJD in endearing farmers ahead of the next year’s general and assembly polls, who comprise 70 per cent of the state’s population.The decision to replace Acharya in place of Singh is also seen as an attempt to utilize his vast political experience in handling crucial political issues. Acharya is also comparatively more acceptable among the farmers than Singh.The Rajya Sabha member was one of the key player behind party’s massive victory in Bijepur byelection earlier this year. He also led a delegation to Chhattisgarh in August 2016 to study the impact of construction over Mahanadi. During his stint as the state finance minister, Odisha introduced a separate agriculture budget in 2012-13 fiscal.“Our party and the BJD government has been working for the welfare of the farmers and we would continue our good works for them. The state government is concerned for the demands of the farmers,” said Acharya.Taking lessons from the results of recent assembly elections and in view of farmers agitations over last several months, the BJD also plans series of political activities to garner support of the agrarian community, said party insiders.The Naveen Patnaik government is also likely to come up with a package for the farmers ahead of polls based on the report of a three-member panel of ministers which has been engaged in consultation with various farmers group.“The BJD leadership must have realized that it could cost the party in the forthcoming assembly elections if they would neglect farming community. At a time when both Congress and BJP tried to wrest power from BJD by promising farm loan waiver, BJD government must take policy decisions to win confidence of farmers,” said a senior political analyst.Meanwhile, the Naba Nirman Krushak Sangathan (NNKS), a major farmers’ outfit took out a rally in the city demanding price, prestige and pension. “If the state government will not take a stand on farmers’ pension by January 31, it would be responsible for the law and order situation which will be created across Odisha,” said NNKS convener Akshaya Kumar.

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