To protest against the harassment, loot and untimely payment of dues being faced by the farmers of Punjab who have brought paddy to be sold in the Mandi’s of Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party will launch dharnas and protests from 7th November 2016. Ahbaab Singh Grewal, General Secretary, Aam Aadmi Party Kisan and Labour Wing and AAP MLA Candidate from Ludhiana West informed the media in a press conference held at the Party Office in Ludhiana today that the farmers are not being paid their rightful dues timely for paddy sold in the mandis of Punjab.
Ahbaab Singh Grewal said that if the Badal Govt had not done the 12000 crore foodgrain scam, the farmers of Punjab would not have been facing such a big problem today in the Markets. Due to this scam, the State Bank of India and other banks refused to provide loan for procurement of food grains in the coming season. And therefore, the Punjab Govt is unable to make timely payment to the farmers now. It is highly astonishing that foodgrains worth more than 20000 crore seem to have vanished from the States Godowns without any clue to the Administration.
Ahbaab Singh Grewal laid out the Aam Aadmi Party’s plan of action about how the Candidates, Kissan Wing Coordinators and party volunteers are visiting the Mandis all over the State and discovered that not only were the payments not being paid on time but they were being fleeced of 100 Rupees per Quintal by Govt officials. It is extremely disheartening fact that the Chief Minister of the state, whose economy is basically agriculture based and which has seen the world’s highest yields, keeps saying that Agriculture is no more a profitable venture and therefore farmers are committing suicides.