A day after the SAD-BJP Government failed to reach a consensus with the agitating farming organisations, the Punjab Congress on Sunday vowed to fight for the cause of farmers.
“Punjab Congress will fight on the streets for the cause of farmers of Punjab,” declared Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa, who was on his tour to the State’s Malwa belt of cotton affected fields and interacted with the farmers. Bajwa also toured the Basmati fields in Fazilka.
Bajwa assured the farmers that their demands will be taken up by the Congress party at every level. He said that after completing his three-day tour, he will apprise the Congress high command about the very recent problems of the farmers of Punjab.
“Congress high command is very serious about the issues of farmers and will fight tooth and nail. It was Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi who personally visited the mandis of Punjab in the last procurement season after that the Punjab Government was forced to release the payments of the farmers,” he pointed.
He said: “We cannot expect anything from the Badal Government as they are having anti-farmer policies. Today, Malwa’s capital Bhatinda has turned into fortress of protests by farmers of Punjab since September 17 but till now, nobody from the Badal family or the Punjab Government even had a word of sympathy or listened to their grievances.”
Touring and interacting with the farmers in Sri Mukatsar Sahib and Fazilka areas, he said that demands put up by various farmer organisations are very genuine, and the Government should agree to them. “Compensation of Rs40,000 per acre should be given to the farmers who are affected by the whitefly and their cotton crop is totally damaged,” he said.
Not even this, the families of farm labourers should be given Rs20,000 as compensation, he added.
He demanded that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal should ensure that the market price of super fine basmati is fixed at Rs5,000 per quintal and the payments are made to the farmers.
Bajwa also demanded that the Punjab Government should order inquiry into multi-crore pesticide scam and immediately sack Agriculture Minister Tota Singh for his alleged negligence for supplying spurious pesticide.
Taking a jibe on Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, Bajwa said that the irony of the State of Punjab is that the farmers are sitting on the roads and Sukhbir is preparing for the next Kabaddi world cup, announcing hefty amount to be spent on the event.
“He or his father don’t have the courage to approach or meet the agitating farmers of the State. These are the people who have voted them to power and made Badal the Chief Minister of the State for the fifth time,” he said.