Cong govt turning a blind eye to farmers’ suffering: SAD

DEMANDS IMMEDIATE LIFTING OF WHEAT FROM GRAIN MARKETS IN PUNJAB

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), on Monday, condemned the Congress government for turning a blind eye to the suffering of farmers, saying the entire procurement process had become paralysed due to mismanagement. It demanded immediate lifting of wheat from markets and restart of procurement which it said had been deliberated reduced.

Former minister and SAD Kisan Wing head Sikander Singh Maluka said the Congress government was treating farmers inhumanly. “First all Congress leaders trooped to Delhi to lobby for ministerial berths leaving farmers to suffer during the peak of the wheat procurement. Now, after the cabinet expansion the same Congressmen are indulging in grandiose welcome functions in their respective areas showing complete indifference to the plight of the farmers,” Maluka added.

Maluka said presently there was a glut in nearly all mandis in the state starting from Khanna, Asia’s largest grain market, to Rajpura, Ludhiana, Sangrur, Barnala, Bathinda, Mansa, Ferozepur and other places.

“With no space for new wheat arrivals, procurement agencies have deliberately slowed procurement. Thousands of farmers are waiting in the mandis for the last 10-12 days. They are forced to sleep in the open and also have to guard their produce from unscrupulous elements and stray cattle,” he claimed. The former minister said he had met the Bathinda deputy commissioner and procurement agency officers, but it did not have any effect at the ground level.