CM directly responsible for plight of farmers in Mandis – SAD
Core committee decides to apprise Governor of situation and demand a CBI probe into the manner in which farmers are being forced to short sell their paddy by AAP functionaries and private players
Bikram S Majithia says core committee has taken serious view of formation of a new anti panthic AAP- BJP coalition to support the candidature of Bibi Jagir Kaur in the SGPC elections
Chandigarh, October 22, 2024: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today said chief minister Bhagwant Mann was directly responsible for the plight of the farmers in the Mandis and said the latter were suffering because they had adhered to the appeal of the chief minister and sown early varieties of paddy like PR-126 which were now not being procured.
Briefing newsmen about the proceedings of the core committee whose meeting was held under the chairmanship of the party’s Working President Balwinder Singh Bhunder, senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia said “both the chief minister and food and civil supplies minister Lal Chand Kataruchak should be proceeded against for failing to procure paddy and causing untold misery to farmers”.
Asserting the a party delegation would meet the Governor Gulab Chand Kataria soon and apprise him of the situation, Mr Bikram Majithia said “we will also demand a CBI probe into the manner in which farmers are being forced to sell their produce below the minimum support price (MSP) at the instance of AAP functionaries and private players”.
Explaining the entire issue, Majithia said the chief minister had appealed to the farmers to sow early varieties of paddy to save on water consumption but now government agencies including Markfed, Pungrain and Punsup were not purchasing these paddy varieties causing untold misery to farmers. He said many farmers were also being duped by AAP functionaries and private players to offload their produce at rates which were Rs 300 to Rs 400 less than the MSP.
The SAD leader said Basmati farmers were also suffering huge losses with Basmati selling at Rs 2700 per quintal in the Mandis against last year’s price of Rs 4,000 per quintal. “Farmers are facing a loss of as much as Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 per acre but the government is not intervening to save the farmers”. Mr Majithia also disclosed how no AAP minister had visited the ‘Mandis’ and addressed the issue of lack of gunny bags, tardy procurement or shortage of DAP for sowing of the next crop.
Majithia also disclosed that the core committee had taken a serious view of the formation of a new anti-panthic coalition of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with the sole view of supporting the candidature of Bibi Jagir Kaur in elections to the post of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) elections. “The core committee has received information from SGPC members that they are being approached by BJP functionaries as well as Punjab government officers at the behest of the AAP government to support Bibi Jagir Kaur’s candidature”.
Stating that the Sudhar Lehar faction had a lot to answer for, Majithia said “the Sudhar Lehar aligned with the AAP and BJP in the Haryana elections besides campaigning for the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir. With Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini thanking rape convict Gurmeet Ram Raheem for supporting the BJP in Haryana, the Sudhar Lehar and Bibi Jagir Kaur should tell whether they also supported this gesture”. He also asserted that Bibi Jagir Kaur should also tell whether she was challenging the supremacy of Sri Akal Takht Sahib by contesting the SGPC polls when her conduct was under question by the supreme body.
When queried whether the SAD was contesting the forthcoming by-elections or not, Majithia said “you should not believe in rumours and asserted the party’s parliamentary board would make the party’s position clear very soon”. He said the Sudhar Lehar was not contesting the by-elections under an agreement with the BJP which had promised to help it in contesting the SGPC elections for support for saffron party’s candidates in the by-elections.