Indian National lok Dal (INlD) on Tuesday termed the Hooda government as anti-farmer saying it had released cheques of Rs 1, 2 and 3 to farmers as compensation for damage to crops due to heavy rains in Jhajjar district.
“These cheques of Rs 2 of Axis bank have been issued by Tehsildar of Beri in district Jhajjar to farmer Satyanarayan and of Rs 3 to farmer Tek Chand as compensation. Is it not a mockery of the systemIJ,” asked Abhay Chautala, MlA from Ellenabad and son of INlD chief Om Prakash Chautala.
State president of INlD, Ashok Arora said that Hooda government’s claims about not sending defaulting farmers to jail for delay in payment of agriculture loans were not true.
“Farmers are not only being sent to jails but their lands are also being auctioned for delay in payment of loans,” said Arora.
He added that around 25,000 farmers have been declared as defaulters from whom banks had taken blank cheques at the time of giving agriculture loans to them along with mortgage of their land and tractor in the State.
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda refuted the allegations leveled by INlD and added that the State government had already released a compensation of Rs 1.14 crore to farmers affected by water logging in Beri tehsil area, district Jhajjar during 2011.
He said Rs 3,500 per acre for 3,365 acres of land according to their share in khewat had been distributed to all affected farmers. On the issue of cheques of Rs 2 and 3, Hooda added that some of the land had more share holders and the compensation was given as per their share of land. On notices to defaulting farmers, Hooda added that farmers should repay their loans.