Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday accused Capt Amarinder Singh-led Congress Government of betraying Punjab farmers and failing to protect cotton crop from whitefly attack.
Maintaining that thousands of acres of cotton crop in State's Malwa region has been affected, forcing farmers to plough the crop just weeks before its maturity, the party demanded strict action against the pesticide mafia selling spurious pesticide to the already debt ridden farmers.
AAP also demanded special girdawri to access the damage of cotton crop due to whitefly attack.
"The Congress Government must pay a minimum of `12,000 per acre as the compensation for the damage of cotton crop of the farmers immediately, so as to prevent more suicides," the party demanded.
Blaming the Congress Government, AAP MlA and the leader of Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, said it was following the footstep of erstwhile Akali-BJP Govt to let the spurious seed and pesticide mafia to flourish their trade, leading to sudden rise in number of farmers suicide cases.