Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday said that the ‘karja kurki khatam’ promise of Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh was nothing but a farce claiming that the farmers continue to be penalised under this law.
AAP MlA and the leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha Sukhpal Singh Khaira criticised Capt Amarinder led Congress Government for making false promises of total debt waiver and doing away with ‘kurki’ of the farmers.
Quoting the case of a farmer Jasvir Singh of Patli village in Talwandi Bhai tehsil of Ferozepur district, whose land was impounded by the Government, Khaira said that every promise made by Congress Government is falling flat.
“The Government has not issued any notification or guidelines to the banks or other Government establishments to give relief to the farmers and it is further creating more confusion…The Government has ditched the farmers of Punjab, which has resulted in more than 200 suicides within five months of formation of the Congress government,” said Khaira.
Khaira said that Jasvir Singh’s land was impounded in the presence of Government officials for failing to pay loan of Rs 6,14,797. It is on record that concerned patwari was asked to register the ‘kurki’ process in daily report and forward it to the higher authorities, said Khaira while providing the copy of the same.
Capt Amarinder must clarify if the promise was false or he has failed to convey his message to the concerned authorities dealing with farmers, he said.
Khaira said that before the polls, Capt Amarinder had pledged that farmer and farm labour community will be strengthened and no government or private undertaking could harass the farmers for not paying the loans. “Even the promise of taking action against those selling substandard seeds and spurious pesticides is not fulfilled and the pesticide mafia is running its business without any fear of the authorities,” he added.
Accusing Capt Amarinder of great betrayal with the farmers by announcing a conditional debt waiver, Khaira said that instead of waiving the entire debt, Capt Amarinder has now chosen to waive off only Rs two lakh of the farmers holding less than five acres of land, which is nothing but a cruel joke with the farming community.
Khaira, accusing Capt Amarinder of shielding corrupt Ministers and harassing farmers of the State, said that no action was taken against a minister whose name had cropped up in multi-crores mining scam but farmers are being harassed for few lakh rupees.
“The actions and policies of government are pushing more and more farmers to take extreme steps,” he said.
Demanding a three-day special session of Vidhan Sabha to discuss the problems being faced by the farmers of the state, Khaira emphasized that the government must issue clear guidelines to the banks, co-operative societies and arhtiyas (commission agents) so that they should stop harassing the farmers.
Khaira also criticisd the Congress Government for turning a blind eye to the problems of farmers.