Congress legislative Party (ClP) leader Sunil Jakhar on Friday blamed Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for ruining the State’s agrarian economy by coming to rescue of “corrupt officials” of the State Agriculture Department.
Jakhar, reacting over Badal’s observation that farmers in Malwa region had suffered “due to natural calamity”, said that the Chief Minister was pouring salt on wounds of farming community which had claimed that corrupt officers and Agriculture Minister stands exposed in the whitefly pesticide purchase scam.
“Concerned over sad plight of the farmers, Congress has prepared a charge-sheet…It will be put through public darbar seeking explanation from the ruling politicians,” said Jakhar.
listing the charges, Jakhar questioned in case Oberon pesticide purchased in bulk by the State Government met the prescribed standards, why the government had barred Bayer Crop Sciences Company from selling it not below the rate of `3,500 per liter in open market.
“Why Oberon was purchased in bulk without following legal procedure of calling tenders, and if the power of the Agriculture Director was limited to purchase worth `10 lakh only, why he was allowed to purchase Oberon worth `33 crore when only the Agriculture Minister and Chief Minister were empowered to place order for such a heavy deal,” asked Jakhar.
Further calling into question, Jakhar said when pesticide, manufactured by Markfed, was found fit to deal with white fly problem by Punjab Agriculture University, why the State Government ignored recommendation and chose to oblige private players instead of making purchase from its own trusted cooperative body.
The pesticide manufactured by Markfed would have cost `258 per acre, then why the government went ahead with Oberon purchase that cost `700 each acre, he asked.
Jakhar went on to ask why the Oberon pesticide was tested at Panchkula-based lab instead of getting it tested by state run lab in Punjab. “Is it not true that multinational company Bayer Crop Sciences had reportedly marketed product of Swastika Company instead of manufacturing the pesticide in question,”
he added.
Concluding, Jakhar asked, if the Chief Minister feels that it was natural calamity, how the farmers would rely on his words since the State Government was yet to disburse compensation worth `717 crore against losses suffered in February-March due to incessant rain.
“How the Chief Minister, who has not dared to raise the farmers related issues with the Prime Minister on latter’s visits at Ferozepur and Mohali, can be expected to convince the central government to release adequate compensation for farming community which had suffered for three consecutive cropsIJ,” asked Jakhar.
Jakhar said that Chief Miniter had talked about sky rocketing political ambitions of Majithia family when Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely visited Punjab and confined to family problems. “At Mohali airport too, he talked about empty chairs instead of farmers’ empty pockets,” said Jakhar.