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Chandigarh, October 12: Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh will launch the party’s door-to-door drive under its mega farmer outreach programme by personally going to the homes of several farmers in Gurdaspur.
The programme launch coincides with media reports of a virtual exodus of farmers to Ambala mandis, triggered by the Badal government’s gross failure to ensure timely procurement of their paddy. The Punjab Congress has expressed serious concern over the development, which highlights the plight of the state’s farmers, who are crowding the Ambala mandis in a desperate bid to sell their paddy.
Carrying the `kisan jholas’, Captain Amarinder will go to farmers’ houses in Kot Surat Malhi in Gurdaspur. The `kisan jhola’ will contain maangpatras (proformas), along with mobile stickers, badges, door stickers and Marg Darshika. The maangpatra will capture the household details and their outstanding debt. With a target of establishing direct contact with 75 lakh voters, reaching out to a total of 2 crore people through the drive ending on October 25, Captain Amarinder has already set stringent targets for 600 party workers to take the campaign forward.
The programme, flagged as Karza-Kurki Khatam, Fasal Di Poori Rakam, is aimed at connecting with the farmers in the state at the grassroots, with an assurance of their debt waiver and resolution of other problems faced by the them on priority basis once the Congress comes to power.
Apart from the door-to-door visits, Captain Amarinder will visit several mandis, including the Dana Mandis at Batala Road (Fatehgarh Churian), Kalanaur, Batala and Dera Baba Nanak, as well as Ghaniyae Ke Bet mandi across the Ravi bridge, where he will join the local farmers for lunch.
Meanwhile, in a joint statement issued in Chandigarh, the Punjab Congress leaders regretted that the predominantly agricultural state of Punjab was now struggling to retain its agrarian identity as a result of the anti-farmer policies of the Badal regime.
The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) leaders, Laal Singh, Hardyal Kamboj, Kuljit Nagra and Randeep Nabha described as “extremely unfortunate” the reports of Punjab farmers making a beeline to Ambala mandis to sell their produce.
The Congress leaders blamed the tardy paddy procurement in Punjab that was forcing the farmers to find greener pastures in the neighbouring state of Haryana.
“Ambala grain market is presently flooded with the paddy produce from Punjab, which clearly reflects the serious problems being faced by the Punjab farmers, pertaining to paddy procurement,” stated the Congress leaders.
The Congress leaders pointed out that earlier the farmers of the border areas of the Punjab were compelled to hurriedly harvest their crop because of the totally unnecessary evacuation orders issued by the SAD-BJP government. The leaders further stated that farmers in many parts of the state had to harvest their crop early because of the pest attack.
“As a result, harvested paddy crop was having a high moisture content. Food Corporation of India was allowing 21 per cent moisture content in paddy in Haryana but for Punjab it is only 17 per cent. Despite Punjab Congress strongly taking up the matter with the state government, the Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal seems to be least bothered about the farming community, as nothing has been done on the issue of increasing the percentage of the moisture content,” said the Congress leaders.
They demanded that the Badal government resolve the problems being faced by the farmers, adding, “The Badal government stands completely exposed. Once the Congress assumes power in Punjab, it would ensure that the hey days of the farming community are back again.”
