Badal govt not paying MSP to paddy farmers: Bajwa
Saturday, 02/11/2013
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20131101/punjab.htm#3
Jalandhar : Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa has flayed the Parkash Singh Badal-led SAD-BJP government for not even paying the minimum support price (MSP) to paddy farmers.
Talking to mediapersons on the sidelines of a public meeting organised by the Punjab Youth Congress (PYC) at Lyallpur Khalsa Senior Secondary School here on Thursday, Bajwa alleged that the Badal government was paying Rs 300 less than the MSP of Rs 1,345 per quintal and thereby embezzling Rs 4,000 crore.
Claiming that farmers had not faced any problem during Congress rule in the state from 2002 to 2007, Bajwa claimed that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and Cabinet Minister Bikram Singh Majithia hadn't visited any mandi to know the difficulties being faced by farmers.
Earlier, addressing the gathering at a public meeting on the concluding day of the 30-day-long Adhikar Padyatra, Bajwa urged the Punjabis to vote in such a way in the coming Lok Sabha elections that a secular person becomes the PM as 25 per cent Indians belong to minority communities.
Appreciating PYC chief Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary's 1000-km-long padyatra for spreading awareness among the people about the policies of the Congress-led UPA government, Bajwa said, "It is not easy to cover 1,000 km on foot."
Indian Youth Congress (IYC) president Rajeev Satav said, "BJP PM candidate Narendra Modi wants development of only one state Gujarat, whereas Congress wants the development of each and every state of the country."
Former ministers Chaudhary Jagjit Singh, Amarjit Singh Samra, Avtar Henry, Santokh Chaudhary, Brij Bhupinder Lally, Sardul Singh, Jai Kishan Saini, Joginder Singh Mann and other Congress leaders including Raj Kumar Gupta, Jagbir Brar, Rajinder Beri and Raman Bhalla were present on the occasion.
Protest against property tax
Sangrur: In protest against the imposition of property tax by the Badal government, Congressmen under the leadership of former Congress MLA from Sangrur Surinderpal Singh Sibia, took out a march on Thursday here. The protesters, wearing black badges, demanded its immediate withdrawal as it would hit the poor, especially small shopkeepers and owners of small houses and vacant plots.
