Chandigarh, May 18
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) senior leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Punjab Assembly, Harpal Singh Cheema strongly condemned the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre for raising the price of DAP fertilizer by Rs 700 per bag, saying that it was a looting of the farmers. In a statement issued from the party headquarters here on Tuesday, Cheema said that the BJP government had decided to increase the price of a 50 kg bag of DAP fertilizer by Rs 700, to break the back of the farmers. He said that the bag of DAP fertilizer which was earlier available to the farmers at Rs 1,200 was now available to the farmers at Rs 1,900.
Taking a dig at the Narendra Modi-led government, Cheema said that ever since the BJP government came to power at the Centre, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had started enforcing decisions against farmers and farming. He said that the central government was continuously increasing the prices of diesel and fertilizers. “Heavy taxes have also been levied on agricultural implements and pesticides, while it was decided to keep agriculture tax-free,” he added. Cheema alleged that the BJP government was making anti-farmer decisions by being a puppet of corporate houses. He said that the Union government had enacted three new black farm laws to deprive farmers of their land.
“The farmers along with all the people of the country are opposing these three black laws, but Narendra Modi is adamant in the interest of his benevolent Ambanis and Adanis. That is why the Modi government is issuing orders against the farmers and farming every day,” said Cheema. He said that rising unemployment and inflation in the country had adversely affected the lives of the farmers along with all sections. The AAP leader said that the prices of agricultural resources were already skyrocketing and now with a 58 per cent hike in the price of DAP fertilizer, the Modi government had plundered crores of rupees from the pockets of the farmers in Punjab, along with the country.
