Chandigarh, October 1
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab has expressed strong opposition to the Narendra Modi-led central government’s decision to postpone the procurement of paddy to October 11 at the eleventh hour; which was supposed to begin from October 1. In a statement issued from the party headquarters here on Friday, AAP MLA and Kisan Wing state president Kultar Singh Sandhwan said the center government’s move is aimed at taking revenge from the farmers, especially targeting farmers from Punjab; for the ongoing protests against the three agricultural black laws.
Terming the decision to defer the procurement of paddy as ‘Tuglaqi Farman’, Sandhwan demanded immediate withdrawal of the order. “The paddy has started arriving in the mandis of Punjab and it would be difficult for the farmers to handle it for 10 days. This is the responsibility of the government, as the farmers bring paddy according to the fixed date of October 1, every year,” he added.
Sandhwan said neither the centre nor the state government was concerned about the farmers’ and were harassing them by adopting various maneuvers. “The Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi should immediately talk to the Prime Minister on this and get the procurement process start early,” he said.
Taking a dig at the Modi government, the AAP leader said the government has come to such tactics that they were not only taking revenge from the farmers sitting on dharnas at the Delhi borders; but also want to harass other farmers in the mandis. Sandhwan said the Aam Aadmi Party stands firmly with the farmers. He demanded the Punjab CM to go to the Prime Minister and return from Delhi only after getting the issue resolved; with withdrawal of the order of the central government to postpone the paddy procurement.
AAP slams centre government’s decision to delay paddy procurement
