Blaming Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh for “politicising” the farmers’ issues by making false promise of debt waiver in his election manifesto and exploiting their sentiments for votes, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and the leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha Sukhpal Khaira on Monday dared the Congress leader for an open debate on the issue.
Khaira was reacting to Capt Amarinder for his “undue” remarks accusing him for politicising the farmers’ issue during his recent visit to cotton belt of Mansa.
“I dare Capt Amarinder Singh to an open debate at a place and time of his choice, on the issue of farmer’s suicides, indebtedness and the farcical loan waiver promised by him,” he said.
“Capt Amarinder made a signed agreement with each farmer promising to waive off their total debt and exploited their sentiments for cheap political gains to win the elections. Now, he has made a complete U-turn on his debt waiver promise leaving the farmers in lurch, due to which the series of suicides have further escalated,” he said.
Khaira said that rather than doing something constructive and helping the farmer community, Capt Amarinder is politicizing the issue of crop failure and farmers’ suicides.
“Being the representative of people of Punjab, it is the moral duty of the leader of Opposition to visit the aggrieved farmers of cotton belt and raise their issues, which I will continue to do despite baseless criticism by the CM,” he said.
Talking about whitefly attack on cotton crop in Malwa region, Khaira accused the Congress government of patronizing substandard seed and spurious pesticide trade in Punjab.