Cong to move adjournment motion in assembly on farmer issues today

Monday, 21/09/2015

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CHANDIGARH: The opposition Congress has decided to bring in an adjournment motion in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha session on Monday to draw the attention of the state government to the plight of farming community.

Congress Legislature Party leader Sunil Jakhar said the decision was taken in consultation with party legislators who were in New Delhi to participate in the Samman rally organised for farmers on Sunday.

Jakhar said the main opposition could not afford to ignore that cotton growers had been ruined as the state government failed to check the whitefly attack due to a “scam”, he said.

He alleged that the purchase of inferior pesticides at an exorbitant price to check the whitefly attack on cotton had caused an irreparable loss to more than 65% farmers in the Malwa belt. He said bad days were apprehended for paddy growers while wheat growers had already suffered due to poor purchase and payment arrangements. The ruling politicians had no time to console the families of farmers who had committed suicide, he added.

Jakhar resented that the agriculture department headquarters was practically working as the SAD office. The central government in the past had earmarked a lot of funds to boost crop diversification but the department officials remained busy in attending sangat darshan or paying visits to the political bosses, he claimed.

FARMERS NOT GETTING REMUNERATIVE PRICES
Farmers were not getting remunerative prices for their produce and were forced to go in with distress sale as even the MSP was not assured, he added. The department had made no arrangements to launch an awareness campaign to guide the farming community on important issues, he said.

The CLP leader said the Congress had submitted a list of principal issues the party sought to discuss on the floor of the House but till date there had been no response from assembly Speaker Charanjit Atwal.

He said Congress legislators would come out on streets if sufficient compensation for loss of cotton was not given. It was unfortunate that many farmers who suffered due to incessant rain last year were given cheques for `500 only as compensation, he added.

The UPA-led union government had released funds under the disaster management and other schemes but these were widely siphoned off, and they would expose such bungling in the Vidhan Sabha, he said.

KISAN RALLY A BIG SUCCESS
Congress MLAs claimed the kisan rally in Delhi was a big hit. Lal Singh, Rana Gurjit Singh, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, Sukhwinder Singh Sarkaria, Gurkirat Singh Kotli, Amrik Singh, Ramanjit Singh Sikki, Hardyal Kamboj, Navtej Singh Cheema, Parminder Singh Pinky and Gurcharan Singh Boparai were present.