Captain Amarinder Supports Agitating Farmers
Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Captain Amarinder Singh has launched into the Punjab government for its negligence in curtailing the whitefly attack that led to extensive damage to the cotton crop in the state.
He also went on to condemn the government for trying to politicize the matter and subjugate the agitating farmers. He held the state government responsible for trying to put a spin on the protests being held by the farmers.
The former Chief Minister also said that despite prior warnings issued by Central Integrated Pest Management Centre (CIPC), the government did not come out proactive in addressing the issue when the whitefly attack was just stemming up and could’ve been checked.
The CIPC had issued a timely alert which could not have any impact due to the lackluster attitude of the government. Captain Amarinder Singh also warned that after the cotton debacle, it will be the paddy farmers on the line as there are no proper procurement arrangements, which has been brought to the govt.’s notice time and again.
Captain Singh also made a strong demand that ownership for ignoring the alerts must be fixed and the guilty brought to justice. “Had the government taken action on the report, much of the cotton crop could have been saved,” he said, while asserting that suspending and imprisoning one odd official will not serve any purpose as the final authority is that of the minister.
“Instead, they are all busy defending their minister Tota Singh, giving him clean chit much before the inquiry had been completed,” he said in a statement.
He was also extremely critical of the state government’s claims that farmers from Haryana and Rajasthan had suffered more severely than their Punjab counterparts but were not ganging up in protest.
“Does this government want our farmers to suffer as enormously as those in the neighboring States that only then it will wake up?” asked Captain Singh.
He also called into question the compensation of Rs 600 crore announced by the state government for the effected cotton farmers, saying, “Let us know the names and addresses of the farmers who have been compensated by this government with this amount.”
Taking a dig at the government, he claimed that the compensation dispensation was all but a farce as some farmers had been issued lowly checks, as low as Rs 140.
He also went on to condemn the government for trying to politicize the matter and subjugate the agitating farmers. He held the state government responsible for trying to put a spin on the protests being held by the farmers.
The former Chief Minister also said that despite prior warnings issued by Central Integrated Pest Management Centre (CIPC), the government did not come out proactive in addressing the issue when the whitefly attack was just stemming up and could’ve been checked.
The CIPC had issued a timely alert which could not have any impact due to the lackluster attitude of the government. Captain Amarinder Singh also warned that after the cotton debacle, it will be the paddy farmers on the line as there are no proper procurement arrangements, which has been brought to the govt.’s notice time and again.
Captain Singh also made a strong demand that ownership for ignoring the alerts must be fixed and the guilty brought to justice. “Had the government taken action on the report, much of the cotton crop could have been saved,” he said, while asserting that suspending and imprisoning one odd official will not serve any purpose as the final authority is that of the minister.
“Instead, they are all busy defending their minister Tota Singh, giving him clean chit much before the inquiry had been completed,” he said in a statement.
He was also extremely critical of the state government’s claims that farmers from Haryana and Rajasthan had suffered more severely than their Punjab counterparts but were not ganging up in protest.
“Does this government want our farmers to suffer as enormously as those in the neighboring States that only then it will wake up?” asked Captain Singh.
He also called into question the compensation of Rs 600 crore announced by the state government for the effected cotton farmers, saying, “Let us know the names and addresses of the farmers who have been compensated by this government with this amount.”
Taking a dig at the government, he claimed that the compensation dispensation was all but a farce as some farmers had been issued lowly checks, as low as Rs 140.
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