BKU appreciates AAP for forcefully taking up issues of farmers: Mann

Chandigarh, May 17, 2016: BKU today appreciated the Aam Aadmi Party for forcefully raising the issues of farmers yesterday. S.Bhupinder Singh Mann, EX, MP and National President of BKU described yesterdays’ protest by AAP as welcome & appreciable. He also supported the demands raised by AAP in the memorandum submitted to S.Parkash Singh Badal, CM Punjab.

S.Mann said that BKU has been raising these issues repeatedly and it is a welcome step that a political party has also raised same issues which reinforces the genuine demands of farmers. Such support from a political party elevates optimisms for the agriculture sector which is totally disheartened & demoralised on all fronts.

He said that BKU has submitted demands, many a times, to the Governor of Punjab, instead to the Badal Government, because this Government has become totally insensitive towards farmers. It has become deaf & blind and can neither listen to the woes of the farmers nor can see the apathy of the farmers who are committing suicides.

He said that insensitive & non-serious behaviour of Badal yesterday yet proves again that he is anti-farmer and completely indifferent to the issues of farmers and other social issues rotting our society.

BKU fully supports the demand of Rs 15 lakh for families of farmers who committed suicides. He also said that farming has been made a loss making venture by the Governments due to which farmers are not in a capacity to repay the loan. In addition to the compensation, he demanded that a case should be registered for “abetment to suicide” against the person(s) who forces the farmer to commit suicide, like in case of twin suicide of farmer and his mother at Barnala.

Supporting the demand for probe into the 12000 crores missing food grain scam, he said that there is a massive corruption in the procurement system which needs to be eradicated. He said that this scam has been exposed by none other than CAG itself after carrying out detailed audit. Taking a dig at CM who demanded evidence of this scam from AAP leaders, Mann said that CAGs report on this scam is more than enough evidence to order probe into this massive scam.

S. Mann said that Government has not paid thousands of crores to farmers for Sugarcane and Wheat. There is huge payment due to the farmers after 20th April. He demanded that delayed payment should be made with interest to the farmers.
Giving details of the Sugar cane, he said that 19.7 cr is outstanding towards Batala Sugar Mill, 28.9 cr towards Gurdaspur and 30.73 cr towards Ajnala sugar mill. Similarly huge amount is pending towards other sugar mills of Punjab.

He also said that BKU fully supports the other demands raised in the memorandum and that we want “rule of law” to prevail in a Punjab which is Free of Corruption. He also said that drugs in the Punjab should be totally eradicated and all those responsible, however high and mighty, should be brought to the law.

He said that the Farmers are biggest victims of corruption. Right from purchase of seed, pesticide, urea and every input material provided to him by Government Departments (Like Agriculture Department), farmers is victimised. Supply of spurious BT Cotton seeds, spurious pesticides which finished almost entire cotton crop last year is the recent example.

Farmers are very badly victimised in the Mandis due to un-imaginably high corruption and loot in the “Procurement Process”. The Mandis are operated by a Mafia he said. The nexus loots farmers of their produce much below MSP and then sell it to Government at MSP. In last paddy season there was a mammoth loot in Basmati 1121 purchase. Similarly high corruption in transportation of food grains, purchase of Gunny Bags; all affect farmers.

In the social sector, farmers become biggest victims of corruption in Thana's and tehsils. Farmers are the ones who probably have regular contact with Patwari, and Gardavar. The commission agents/money lenders bribe the police officials and threaten the poor farmers to take over their land for having failed to pay the loan. This forces farmers to commit suicides.

He said that if there is systematic eradication of corruption, farmers will be biggest gainers.