Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, The Punjab Congress President Mr Partap Singh Bajwa today strongly condemned the Parkash Singh Badal government for the stalemate in the mandis resulting in non-payment to thousands of farmers.
Holding the Badal government directly responsible for the situation, he said it betrayed the inefficiency and indifference of the state government, besides mishandling of the procurement operations.
He pointed out that the credit limit had never been stopped midway as happened in this case after the first instalment of Rs. 8000 crore was released while the second instalment of Rs. 10,000 crore was still awaited. The farmers had not been paid for the last ten days and lakhs of tonnes of paddy was yet to be procured.
He said what was ironic that Mr Badal had not uttered a single world on this issue against this attitude of the Narendra Modi government at the centre in which the Akali Dal was a partner. This was worse than what Mr Badal used to describe as the step-motherly treatment during the UPA regime despite the fact that then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh had always been liberal towards Punjab.
He said this was not the first instance in which the Modi government had adopted such rigid attitude towards this state. He referred to the rejection of financial package demanded by the state government by Finance Minister Mr Arun Jaitley.
“Credit limit is given for the entire produce to be procured on the basis of the forecast made by the state government. This limit is sanctioned by the Reserve bank of India. The adjustments, if any, are made only after the procurement season is over and not mid-way as has happened this time. It is this government which is directly responsible for this state of affairs as t has failed to convince its own government. Moreover, paddy is prepared on behalf of the centre”, he added.
He urged Mr Badal to take up this issue with his own government at the centre on priority. It was strange that he had not personally gone to meet the minister concerned at the centre or the Prime Minister on such a sensitive issue. It seemed he was not being accorded any attention by the Modi government, he added.
Mr. Bajwa slammed Mr. Badal and said that he was busy meeting Mr. Arun Jaitley and other leaders to save the coalition with BJP and he hardly had any time to present the case of poor farmers of Punjab to the Union Government.
