JAKHAR TEARS INTO CENTRE FOR WEAPONISING IT’S FOOD GRAIN PURCHASE TO UNDERMINE MANDI SYSTEM AND TARGET PUNJAB FARMERS
TERMS AS SHAMEFUL BJP’S SINISTER DESIGNS FOR CREATING HURDLES IN PROCUREMENT PROCESS TO ANTAGONISE FARMERS AGAINST THE STATE GOVT TO REAP POLITICAL BENEFIT
FOREWARNS THESE PURCHASE IMPEDIMENTS ARE OMINOUS PRECURSOR TO WHAT’S IN STORE FOR PADDY SEASON CLOSER TO POLLS
DECLARES WORST IS STILL TO COME WHILE URGING ALL PUNJABIS TO TIGHTEN THEIR BELTS IN THE TOUGH FIGHT AHEAD
CHANDIGARH, MARCH 24: Even as he termed the recent FCI diktats regarding crop purchase requirements including forcing farmers to produce farad for selling their produce as vengeful, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Sunil Jakhar on Wednesday tore into centre for weaponising crop purchase mechanism to dismantle the time-tested mandi system and target Punjab and its farmers.
This is how low Modi regime can stoop against its own people just to benefit private players and capitalists, Jakhar stated castigating centre for coming after Punjabi farmers who have rightfully refused to bow down before these unconstitutional, undemocratic and illegal agricultural laws being thrust down their throat.
Pointing out that these steps announced by FCI are just the beginning and a ticking time bomb for an agrarian state like Punjab, Jakhar underlined that real intention of BJP in creating these hurdles is to antagonise Punjab’s farmers against the state government with an eye on the 2022 assembly elections.
Jakhar warned that being close to assemble elections scheduled to be held just couple of month after Paddy procurement , BJP might actually delay or refuse the CCL to Punjab on one pretext or the other as they have done with RDF just to make things more precarious for the state. He underlined that centre would be doing this to try and instigate farmers’ anger against the state government to give it a bad name to reap petty political gain.
In a statement issued here, the veteran Congress leader that it was amply clear that centre is indulging in all these dirty tricks to teach Punjabis farmers a lesson and malign the state government which has outrightly stood by its proud farmers against this assault on their lives and livelihoods.
Highlighting BJP’s dubious and double faced agenda over farm laws, Jakhar called out the saffron party’s ‘protest’ against insufficient paddy purchase by the Orissa state government as shamefully ludicrous. Someone should have told BJP members in Orissa that it is not the state but central government which makes these rules and the protests should be held against BJP led central dispensation.
Urging all Punjabis to come together and resist these devious machinations of centre with greater force and energy, Jakhar also called upon all farmer organisations to be aware of the nefarious designs of the BJP government.