Union food processing minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal today asked Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh to walk the talk if he was really serious about boosting farmer earnings by announcing an immediate bonus of Rs 100 per quintal on paddy instead of playing politics by dubbing the historic increase of Rs 200 per quintal in paddy msp as fluff.
In a statement here, Mrs Harsimrat Badal said it was condemnable that Capt Amarinder was terming the record increase in msp of paddy and cotton as fluff or trivial. “Since cotton msp has been increased by Rs 1100 per quintal, the Congress chief minister should at least explain how this is trivial and simultaneously announce a bonus of Rs 200 per quintal bonus on the same”.
The Bathinda mp said “the core issue is whether Capt Amarinder is serious about resolving the agrarian crisis in the State or content to shoot and scoot without taking any responsibility for the mess he has created after promising and then reneging on the Rs 90,000 crore farm loan waiver. The issue is whether Amarinder will pay lip service to the cause of the Punjabi farmer or build upon the largesse given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi which now assures farmers a fifty per cent profit on input costs. Amarinder has the means to build upon this as the State will accrue an additional Rs 200 crore by way market and rural development fee due to the msp hike. Now it is to be seen if the benefit is transferred to the farmers or not”.
Mrs Badal said if the chief minister’s past record was any indication he was unlikely to do anything for the Punjab farmer. “The best Amarinder has ever done till now is give a bonus of Rs 10 per quintal on paddy after promising a bonus of Rs 30 in 2002. He is best known for withdrawing the free power facility extended to farmers by S Parkash Singh Badal during his 2002-07 tenure besides presiding over ‘kurki’ of farmer assets during the present one”.
Stating that Amarinder was trying to shift responsibility to the centre, Mrs Badal said “it is you who promised the complete loan waiver. It is you who has to deliver on it”. She also asked him not to befool Punjabis on the issue of Swaminathan Commisson report. “It is a fact that the crux of Swaminathan report was ensuring 50 per cent profit on input costs to farmers. This has been achieved. Even Dr Swaminathan has welcomed this move. But you remain a nay sayer”.
Mrs Badal said if nothing else Capt Amarinder should take a cue from the lakhs of farmers who attended the Malout rally yesterday in a thanksgiving gesture to the Prime Minister. “The farmers came to the rally because they understood that they will earn Rs 6,000 per quintal more in case of paddy and Rs 10,000 per quintal more for cotton. It is high time the chief minister also acknowledges this fact that rises above petty politics and thanks PM Narendra Modi for this bold decision”, she added.
