Hindustan Times (Amritsar)

Bikram Majithia accuses Cong of fooling farmers

- HT Correspond­ent letterschd@hindustant­imes.com

AMRITSAR: Formercabi­net minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia on Wednesday blamed the state government for the suicide of over 200 farmers within its six month tenure. Addressing media in Amritsar, Maj it hi a said that the Congress is once again fooling farmers with false promises owing to October 11 Gurdaspur bypoll necessitat­ed by the death of Vinod Khanna.

Lashing out at the Congress, he said that the state government failed to compensate the aggrieved familiesof the farmers who committed suicide.

Majithia said, “During the Punjab assembly elections, the Congress made a plethora of fake promises and managed to come to power. They are doing it again for Gurdaspur elections.” The Congress had promised to waive off the ₹90,000 crore loan but the farmers were betrayed, Maj it hi a said. He said, the farmers were left with no option but to commit suicide after the government did not compensate them for their burnt wheat crops. Local bodies minister N av jot Sing hS id huh ad announced money to the farmers from his pocket but he did not keep his words, he said. Bikram alleged thatthe Congress is yetto pay ₹800 crore to farmers, art hiya sand lab ours for the wheat procuremen­t in May. He claimed that authoritie­s have to pay ₹31 croretothe farmers in Amritsar. The situation has become grim as the central government has asked the state government to pay ₹1,000 crore in order to get cash credit limit (CCL) released for paddy, he said. Meanwhile, few farmers slam med the government for cheating them.

 ??  ?? Bikram Singh Majithia
Bikram Singh Majithia

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