Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president and lok Sabha MP Sunil Jakhar on Thursday termed the marginal increase of MSP of cotton and paddy by the Union Government as a “cruel joke” with farmers of the country.
The stand taken by the Akali Dal on the issue has also exposed this party's anti-farmer face, he said.
Jakhar said that it was well know that the Modi government has been misleading the farmers since 2014, but the present stand of SAD leaders has also exposed them, who mortgaged the interests of farmer with NDA government only to fulfill its greed to hold just one Union Cabinet ministry berth.
“When the Prime Dr Minister Manmohan Singh's government was at the Centre, Punjab’s then Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal never forgot to criticize Centre on the crop price issue and at that time, they had demanded Rs 1,800 MSP for paddy. But now, when SAD is partner in NDA government at the Centre and even after completion of four year in power, the NDA government still has not fulfilled the SAD demands, but surprisingly now SAD leaders have nothing to say which reflects their double character on the issues related with farmers,” said Jakhar.