Chandigarh, October 24
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab Kisan Wing state president and MLA Kultar Singh Sandhwan alleged that the Congress government had never fulfilled its promises made to the farmers but used them as a vote bank. He said that like the Captain government, the Channi government has not waived off the debts of the farmers nor has it compensated the farmers for the damaged crops. Sandhwan demanded from the Channi government to give 100 percent compensation for damaged crops to the farmers.
In a statement issued from the party headquarters here on Sunday, Kultar Singh Sandhwan said, “In the Congress rule, neither the farmers’ debt has been waived nor the crops have been properly compensated. Last season, the farmers were harried due to lack of gunny bags (bardana) and now the farmers are being harassed by not buying their crops in the name of high moisture content in the paddy.”
Sandhwan said neither the Channi government nor the Narendra Modi-led central government was paying any heed to the farmers, even if their crops were damaged in the farms or the farmers sitting in the mandis were harassed. These governments are limited only to tall claims in the name of the farmers; they have nothing to do with solving the problems of the farmers, he added. Sandhwan said that agriculture was dependent on nature. Due to continuous rain on the paddy crop, the moisture content in the paddy was increasing. However, the Union government was making it a condition to procure paddy with minimum moisture content under a conspiracy against the farmers of Punjab.
He said the crops damaged in Amritsar, Tarn Taran and some other districts of Punjab due to hailstorm and in Malwa region due to pink bollworm infestation; should be compensated as soon as possible. At the same time the moisture content of paddy should be reduced so that the farmers do not have to hassle in the mandis. Sandhwan further said that the government agencies procuring paddy were not bidding for the crop on the pretext of high moisture content and the farmers were harried; sitting in the mandis with their crops.
The AAP leader said that the paddy crop was being ruined due to rains and pests, so the Punjab government and the Union government should make proper arrangements for the procurement of paddy crop at the earliest. Sandhwan appealed to the Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi to meet the Prime Minister Narendra Modi through a joint delegation so as to put pressure on the Union government that in view of increased moisture due to rain, the condition of moisture in the crop should be relaxed and procurement of paddy should be expedited.
