Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, December 31: People’s Party of Punjab chief Manpreet Singh Badal today said the Parkash Singh Badal could not pass the buck for farmers’ suicides on the centre alone and must share the blame. Moreover, the Akali Dal too was now part of the government at the centre.
Strongly reacting to the statement of Agriculture Minister Tota Singh that suicides by the farmers had nothing to do with the Punjab government, he said it was shocking that he described it as a routine affair and blamed only centre’s policies for the same.
“There has been an alarming rise in the incidence of suicides by the farmers during the last some years. This year has been worst, especially in the cotton belt. If one accepts the logic that centre’s policies have been responsible for the situation, then the role of Akali Dal must be explained as the party is part of the Narendra Modi government at the centre with Harsimerat Kaur Badal being the Food Processing Minister”, he added.
Manpreet said Tota Singh had expressed his total ignorance saying that agriculture was a central subject. He reminded him that agriculture is a state subject but it is the food pricing that is with the centre. However, there is no bar on the states giving incentive over and above the MSP.
He reminded the Badal government that even the decisions taken by it on the farm front had failed to take off and this included second push to agriculture. Moreover, it was for the state government to go in for value addition rather than export wheat and paddy. He pointed out that there should be no problem in setting up food processing units even at the village level going by the fact that the ministry at the centre is with Akali Dal representative in the union cabinet.
He recalled implementing Swaminathan committee recommendations on food pricing was the poll promise of the BJP from which the Modi government backtracked within weeks in the Supreme Court. He wanted to know whether the Badal government or Harsimrat Kaur Badal had formally lodged protest against it or not.
