Chandigarh, April 7, 2021
Slamming Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on pretending to oppose the centre’s direct bank transfer (DBT) system for payment to farmers, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) stated that Captain Amarinder was only doing a ‘drama’ on it as he was internally supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government. In a statement issued from the party headquarters here on Wednesday, AAP state president and MP Bhagwant Mann said that the Captain government was playing games by confusing the farmers in a bid to suppress them. He said that Captain Amarinder Singh who was pretending to be firm on the stand of continuing the arhtiya system, had on the other hand started work on direct payment to the farmers.
Mann further said that the farmers and arhtiyas were being cheated while Captain Amarinder and Modi were working on the same lines to implement the DBT system. ” The direct transfer of payment to farmers is a conspiracy of the PM Modi-led central government to harass the farmers and increase their problems in which Captain Amarinder Singh is helping him. The MSP online transfer is a plot to wedge a divide between the farmers and the arhtiyas,” he added. Mann said that it will further lead to chaos in Punjab in the coming wheat procurement season. He said that the BJP-led central government and Captain Amarinder Singh government working in collusion, was aimed at destroying the farmers, laborers, arhtiyas and the entire Mandi system in Punjab.
On the virtual meeting held between Union Food Minister Piyush Goyal and Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Mann said that Captain’s own minister statement of being ready with a plan B had exposed the real face of the Captain government and their intention towards the farmers. “On one hand the Captain government is claiming to stick on the arhtiya system and on the other hand has started testing software for making direct payment to the farmers stating it to be ‘plan B’. This shows the double-standard of the Captain government,” he added. Mann said that such plan B will lead to chaos in the state and instead of confusing the farmers, the Captain government should remain firm to the existing system of payment through arhtiyas, so that the relation between the farmers and the arthiyas which was going on smoothly and efficiently, remains the same.
“Instead of pleasing his bosses PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and working in collusion with them to suppress the farmers; Captain Amarinder should think about the welfare of the farmers,” said Mann. He said that instead of embarrassing the farmers, Captain Amarinder Singh should abandon the Modi government and should take up the cause of his farmers as the Chief Minister of an agriculture-oriented state. Mann said that due to the agitation being carried out by the farmers, now both the governments were working to twist the arms of the farmers and suppress them. Lashing out at Captain Amarinder Singh, Mann said that by accommodating this proposal of direct payment by providing land data, Captain Amarinder-led Congress government was implementing the black farm laws drafted by PM Narendra Modi, in the state.
He said that Captain was once again backstabbing the farmers of the state as earlier he being the member of the High Power Committee had given nod to draft these black laws and now on the order of his boss Modi, has started working on the DBT system of the centre. Mann said that the procurement of wheat will be starting from April 10 in the mandis and the people of Punjab were still confused about the payment of wheat by the governments. He said that the Aam Aadmi Party has been standing with the farmers from the very first day; standing shoulder to shoulder with them in difficult times and would continue to do so.
