Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday announced that the state government will compensate the farmers if the Modi government does not concede their demand for withdrawal of value cut on MSP in procurement of wheat in the wake of the damage to crops resulting from unseasonal rains.In an informal chat with some newsmen after addressing an election rally here in support of Congress candidate from Patiala, Preneet Kaur, the Chief Minister said he would ensure that the farmers are not penalized or burdened for no fault of theirs. The state will subsidise the value cut on MSP, he declared.The BJP-led government at the Centre has been meting stepmotherly treatment to Punjab’s farmers in a bid to undermine the Congress government in the state, said Captain Amarinder, citing the diversion of gunny bags to Haryana and the Centre’s decision regarding imposition of value cut on MSP for the wheat procured under the relaxed specifications in the State of Punjab during Rabi Marketing Season 2019-20. Despite repeated requests, including the letters he had personally written to the prime minister on the issue of value cut, the central government had failed to respond so far, he pointed out, lashing out at Modi for ignoring the plight of farmers.Earlier, at the rally, Modi also came under fire from the Chief Minister over his shameless remarks on Late Rajiv Gandhi and his continuous efforts to take credit for the achievements of the armed forces. The Modi rule had been nothing but a saga of failed promises, he said, adding that demonetization had failed to end black money while GST had broken the back of thousands of small traders.The Chief Minister declared that Modi would be taught a lesson by the people of India for his attempts to divide the nation with his communal agenda.
Modi will not be allowed to further his divisive agenda, declared Captain Amarinder, adding, “We have to decide what sort of country we want- a secular nation or one divided on the lines of religion.”Lashing out at the Badals also for their divisive politics, the Chief Minister reiterated that the Akali leaders would not escape punishment for their misdeeds, especially the sacrilege cases which were clearly an attempt to create a communal divide to woo Sikh votes.Captain Amarinder also mocked at the BJP’s choice of Sunny Deol and other actors as symbols of their nationalist agenda in these elections, deriding Deol for his comment on Balakot, about which he seemed to be completely ignorant, as per reports. This showed the caliber of the people that BJP is seeking to impose on the people of India, he said, adding that while Modi had been taking credit for Balakot, this man (Deol) did not even know what had happened there.These actors are just showpieces, quipped the Chief Minister, noting that Hema Malini did not open her mouth once in the Lok Sabha, where she represented Mathura for five years.In her address earlier, Preneet described demonetization as the harbinger of misery for the common man. The Modi government’s policies had been totally anti-people, she declared, appealing to people to vote out the BJP in their own interest and the interest of the nation.Preneet lauded the Congress government for the development work undertaken in Punjab in the last two years, despite financial constraints. Rejecting allegations to the contrary, she said that the farm loan waiver scheme was being implemented without any bias and narrated a meeting with an Akali supporter who said he was shifting his vote to the Congress as he had received Rs 2 lakh waiver against his debt.The rally was also attended by Congress candidates from Fatehgarh Sahib and Sangrur, Dr Amar Singh, and Kewal Singh Dhillon respectively.