Kiran Choudhry, Leader of the Haryana Congress Legislature Party (CLP), has accused the BJP Government, led by Mr Manohar Lal Khattar, of sitting smug and talking only but doing precious little to come to the aid of the harried and harassed farmers whose cup of woes has brimmed over. Reduced to penury by the government which has not paid them single penny as compensation for the loss of crops due to the unseasonal rains and hailstorms, some have been driven to commit suicide.In a statement issued here today, the former Excise and Taxation Minister said that both the BJP Government and state agencies which were refusing to lift the wheat on one flimsy ground or the other, seem to have joined hands to make the lives of farmers miserable. Small wonder, the farmers have begun to rue the decision not to let the Food Corporation of India (FCI) mop up wheat.
Refusal to lift stocks has left the mandis clogged with wheat, leaving little room for fresh arrivals. The scenario is pretty bad in Tosham where the farmers find no space to download their produce. Quoting instances, she said on Monday, the farmers and commission agents locked the gate of the grain market in Jind, alleging cut in the minimum support price (MSP) by the state agencies. Worse still, the farmers are not being paid MSP of Rs 1,450 per quintal for whatever little stock is lifted, she alleged.“It is high time the BJP Government intervened and paid the farmers compensation of at least Rs 25,000 for every acre of damaged crop; told the state agencies to pace up the process of procurement; and paid the farmers MSP along with bonus. Should the government continue to sit over matters, it will be forcing the farmers to come out on the roads,” Ms Choudhry added.