Bajwa to undertake fast unto death from Nov 16 for sugarcane farmers

Saturday, 29/08/2015

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Serves an ultimatum to state govt for pressing sugar mills to start crushing by Nov 15.

Jalandhar : Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa on Friday announced to sit on fast unto death from November 16 in Chandigarh, serving an ultimatum to state government to put the sugar mills start crushing of sugarcane by November 15.

He appealed to the farmers’ organisations to extend support in this common cause.

Addressing a dharna in front of the sugar mill here, the PPCC President said the Punjab government should evolve policy to subsidize farmers and sugar mills on the pattern of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. He said as compared to these two states, the amount to be paid in Punjab was much less. He demanded subsidy at the rate of Rs 30 to Rs 35 per quintal on sugarcane to the farmers so that the mills become viable.

At the same time, he urged the Narendra Modi government at the centre to announce package for Punjab Farmers at least Rs 51,000 crore on the pattern of Bihar to offset the debt liability of the farmers who were increasingly committing suicide.

He berated the Modi government for being anti-minority and anti-Punjab. He especially referred to the threat of eviction facing the Punjabi farmers settled in Gujarat as the state government has failed to with its special leave petition from the Supreme Court.

Bajwa lashed at Badal saying the chief minister had failed on all fronts. According to recent census survey the fall in the Punjabi especially Sikh population was alarming and one of the reasons was migration of about 1.5 lakh youth from the state to other countries every year as employment opportunities were absent here. The situation had reached its nadir in the absence of lack of capital investment due to bad governance.

He announced that the next dharna would be staged by the party in front of the Kiri Afghana sugar mill on September 12.

Prominent among those present on the occasion, included Ex MP Santosh Chaudhary MLA Brahm Mohindra, PCC vice president Sardool Singh, Hoshiarpur MLA Sunder Sham Arora, Mukeriaa MLA Rajnish Kumar Babbi, Qadian MLA Charanjit Kaur Bajwa, PCC general secretary Joginder Singh Mann, Fateh Jung Singh Bajwa, former party spokesman Sukhpal Singh Khaira, ex-MLAs Ram Lubhaya and Joginder Nath and Ropar DCC president Harbhag Singh.