Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, The Punjab Congress President Mr Partap Singh Bajwa today lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for ditching the farmers on the issue of implementation of the Swaminathan Committee report for the fixation of minimum support price for the farm produce.
In a statement, he referred to the affidavit submitted by the Modi government in the Supreme Court pleading that it would not be possible to enhance the minimum support price by ensuring at least 50 per cent profit to the farmers over and above the cost of production. He pointed out the centre had hit the very foundation of farm economy by taking the stand that the MSP was not an income policy.
“All along in the election campaign, you have been misleading the farmers into believing that once the BJP came into power with Mr Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister, the MSP would be fixed on the recommendations of the Swaminathan Committee report. It is not only now your government at the centre but your party is part of the same. The people have the right to ask whether the Minister for Food Processing Harsimrat Kaur Badal was consulted by the Modi government on this vital policy issue which concerns the farmers not only in Punjab but the entire country. It has been repeatedly proved after the new government having come into power that you have been lying to the people all along. It does not behove a person who is the chief minister for the fifth time to betray the people on each and every issue”, he said.
He asked Mr Badal to come out with just single decision taken by his Modi government which had benefitted Punjab. The people were still waiting for the truck-loads of money that he and his Deputy Chief Minister son Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal had been promising to the people.
He said here was a serious blow to the farming community and it was clear that Mr Badal and his party had no say at all in the government at the centre.
“If you have any sense of dignity left via-a-vs the BJP government at the centre, you should at least register protest by withdrawing your minister from the government in case you lack the courage to come out of alliance. The problem is that the alliance is dictated by your personal interests rather than being in the welfare of the people”, he said adding that it was the UPA government under which the farmers had benefited much more so far as the hike in MSP was concerned.
