Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Harjeet Grewal on Sunday criticized the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government, accusing it of failing to procure paddy from farmers despite receiving substantial funds from the Central government.
“Punjab has an agrarian economy, and it’s festival season, yet the government is unwilling to accept its mistake. They claim that funds haven’t been provided, but the Central government has already allocated Rs 44,000 crore. Now, it’s up to the state government to procure and store the produce,” Grewal told ANI.
Grewal added, “They only issued a tender for sacks seven days ago, and all necessary arrangements, including providing drinking water, should have been handled by the Punjab government. The minister even avoided going to Delhi to negotiate with the Central government.”
Meanwhile, farmers in Punjab continued their protest for the second consecutive day, pressing for timely paddy procurement and other demands. As part of the protest, farmers organized roadblocks, or “chakka jam,” across several parts of Punjab, including Sangrur, Moga, Phagwara, and Batala.
The Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee and Sanyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) participated in the protests. Kisan Mazdoor Morcha Coordinator Sarwan Singh Pandher, present at the protest site in Phagwara, stated, “The indefinite roadblocks by both fronts, demanding paddy procurement, DAP supply, and stubble management solutions, have entered their second day.”
Yesterday, Punjab’s Chief Minister went to Delhi and mentioned discussions with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and BJP President JP Nadda.
Earlier, a BJP delegation met Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, submitting a memorandum urging him to ensure that crops are lifted from mandis before Diwali and Bandi Chhor Diwas.
The memorandum noted that paddy procurement for the Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) officially began in Punjab on October 1, 2024. “Before the season started, in the last week of September, the Punjab Government received Rs 44,000 crore from the Central Government for paddy procurement at the Minimum Support Price (MSP),” the memorandum stated.
It further criticized the Punjab government, stating that it had “miserably failed to make all necessary arrangements on time to ensure smooth paddy procurement,” citing delays in acquiring gunny bags, tarpaulins, and notifications for custom milling policies, FRK milling policies, labor contracts, and transportation contracts.
(Ani)