The Punjab Congress on Thursday blamed the coalition partners — Shiromani Akali Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party — for making the State's farmers, who have lost their crops due to untimely rainfall and rough weather conditions, a "victim" of their "image building politics". Slamming the SAD-BJP led State and BJP-led Central Government, Congress legislature Party leader Sunil Jakhar said that both alliance partners in the State and at the Centre have failed to address the farmers' concern.
“Due to untimely rainfall, farmers have lost their crops who are already under threat of loan debt, but the State Government as well as the Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not speak even a single word on the issue,” said Jakhar. He said that both Governments did not announce any kind of compensation to the farmers.
Jakhar said that no leader from the BJP held meeting with their Prime Minister or Chief Minister over the concern of farmers, which also “shows their so-called pro-farmers claims”. “Both alliance parties have only been indulged in image building politics, whereas the people of the State have become familiar with their vested interests,” he said.
“During his visit to Punjab, Prime Minister had announced that Centre would provide more rights and share in central taxes to the States, so that they could spend their money as per their own policy programmes. By saying these, Modi only got safe passage from their responsibility and laid down responsibility on the State Government. On the other hand, the State Government is doing the same thing by saying that they have written to the Centre for compensation to the farmers and for Rs100 per quintal bonus on wheat crops,” he said.
Also the leader of Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Jakhar said that farmers did not get any even a single rupee of the compensation as it was demanded by the State Government. Sharing report of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna, which was released on December 17, 2014, Jakhar pointed that Punjab Government was the most incapable State of the country in terms of spending on agriculture sector during 2011-12 to December 2014.
He pointed that during these years, Centre had allocated huge amount of Rs1246.50 crore but the SAD-BJP Gvernment could only utilise 59 per cent of the total funds allocations. “State Government should stop this kind of politics, which may played positive role to retain in the power or their personal make over but it’s not good for the welfare of the people of the State,” he said.