Chandigarh, Nov 10 (IANS): Former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal said on Friday that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is implementing Central government's agenda to end the minimum support price (MSP) regime on paddy by directing the state Advocate General to recommend it to the Supreme Court during a hearing on air pollution in Delhi.
Asserting that this is tantamount to taking Punjab 50 years back and striking a blow on its agricultural economy, the SAD MP from Bathinda said, “Punjab has functioned as the food bowl of the country since the past 50 years. We are major contributors to the public distribution system (PDS). Now an effort is afoot to phase out paddy production in Punjab by putting an end to the MSP regime, in the same manner in which the Central government had sought to do so earlier by bringing in the three agricultural laws.
"Though the laws were repealed after 650 farmers were martyred in the Kisan Andolan, now the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government is set to implement the Centre’s agenda by unilaterally recommending phasing out of paddy cultivation in Punjab.”
Stating that such a step would not only result in the destruction of the state’s agricultural economy, Harsimrat Badal said it would also throw farmers into penury and increase farmer suicides.
“We will not let this anti-Punjab step to be implemented at any cost. I urge Punjabis to confront AAP legislators and ask them why they are hell-bent on destroying the state’s agricultural economy as well as the agri-marketing system which took decades to perfect. This includes creating grain markets, storage spaces and rural link roads -- all done by former Chief Minister (late) Parkash Singh Badal," she said.
Asserting that instead of selling out the interests of Punjab, the Chief Minister should tell why he did not facilitate creation of the necessary biomass factories to manage paddy stubble, as promised.
The SAD MP said farmers are also not given compensation to manage stubble, nor are adequate machines provided for the same.
“Even the much-touted chemical advocated as a panacea to manage stubble by AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal has not been introduced in Punjab,” she said.
Stating that she has been making Punjabis aware of AAP’s conspiracies against Punjab since 2022, she said, “This is the second time that AAP has compromised the interests of Punjab in the Supreme Court. Earlier the government had claimed that it is ready to construct the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, but for protests from the opposition.
"This as well as the party’s sell out on Chandigarh with the Chief Minister refusing to take a stand against the proposal to grant land in the Union Territory to Haryana for a separate Vidhan Sabha proves that the Chief Minister is weakening Punjab’s stand on all crucial issues, which concern its welfare."