Bajwa assures farmers to fight for their cause
Monday, 05/10/2015
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BATHINDA: Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Partap Singh Bajwa on Sunday visited several villages of Muktsar and Fazilka districts to take stock of the damage to the cotton crop due to the whitefly attack and the losses suffered by farmers.
Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa talking to a woman in Muktsar on Sunday.
Interacting with farmers, Bajwa assured them that the Punjab Congress would fight for the cause of farmers since the state government had adopted an insensitive approach to deal with the crises faced by the farmers, especially during the past one year.
“The Congress high command is serious about the farmers’ issues and the party will fight tooth and nail. We cannot expect anything from this government in Punjab as they are pursuing anti-farmer policies,” Bajwa said. He said the demands put forward by farmer organisations are genuine and the government should accept them.
“The compensation of `40,000 per acre should be given to farmers, besides `20,000 each to farm labourers. Releasing only small amount as compensation is a cruel joke with the farmers who are reeling under severe debt,” he said.
He demanded that the state government order an inquiry into the multi-crore pesticide scam and immediately sack agriculture minister Tota Singh for his alleged negligence in supplying spurious pesticides.
Bajwa said chief minister Parkash Singh Badal must ensure that the price of superfine basmati is fixed at `5,000 per quintal and payments are made to the farmers in time.
Taking a jibe at deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, Bajwa said farmers were sitting on roads while Sukhbir was busy preparing for the kabaddi world cup.
