Not satisfied with the arrest of Punjab Agriculture director and registration of a case in the pesticide scam, the Congress party on Tuesday demanded Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s resignation and the arrest of State Agriculture Minister Tota Singh.
Besides, the party also demanded a probe by the central premier agency — Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) — into the multi-crore pesticide scam.
Making this demand, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa sought resignation of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal over the issue and the arrest of Agriculture Minister Tota Singh in connection with the alleged pesticide scam in the State. He also called for a CBI probe in this “deep-rooted scam”.
He alleged that agriculture director Mangal Singh Sandhu, who was arrested recently, has just been made a “scapegoat” to “save higher-ups” and the scandal must be exposed.
Bajwa said that Rs33 crore purchase of sub-standard pesticides was just one aspect as the scandal that he claimed led to a total loss of about “Rs5,000 crore” to the State.
PPCC chief asked Badal as to why Tota Singh was re-inducted into the Cabinet after his resignation in the wake of his conviction by a court on the charge of committing irregularities in the past. He also demanded that Tota Singh be arrested.
Bajwa, who is presently touring the state’s cotton belt in Malwa region, said that it was surprising that the fields in the Rajasthan villages adjoining Punjab were not at all affected and that state was having a bumper crop. Even the cotton field next to Punjab villages were healthy, he said.
He said that it was only in areas where spurious fertilisers had been sprayed had been ruined. Bajwa said that it was in this context that the compensation announced by the State Government was far less.
Bajwa said that as the scam was deep rooted, the investigation must be handed over to the CBI otherwise the alleged involvement of the political leadership would not be probed.
He demanded compensation to the farmers at the rate of Rs40,000 per acre and to the farm workers at the rate of Rs5000 per family member.
PPCC chief also urged the Chief Minister to get a special package of Rs51,000 crore from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the farmers and reminded him that Manmohan Singh as UPA Prime Minister had released Rs42,000 crore for this purpose.