Congress accuses Punjab's AAP government of colluding with BJP to create farm crisis, destroy economy
Congress party has accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government of conspiring with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre to create a crisis around the storage of paddy crops, which could severely impact the state's economy. Tensions between Congress and AAP, already strained after the Haryana election results, have escalated following the new allegations.
Leader of Opposition in the Punjab assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, claimed that the Punjab Chief Minister, Bhagwant Mann, misled farmers into sowing hybrid varieties of paddy, which has contributed to the ongoing issues. «I hold Arvind Kejriwal, Mann, and the central government responsible for this crisis, which will also create a law and order situation,» Bajwa said at a press conference in New Delhi.
Bajwa highlighted that 185 lakh metric tonnes of paddy are expected to arrive in mandis (grain markets), but godowns in the state are already full due to uncleared stocks. He urged immediate intervention from the Centre, warning of a potential economic fallout.
The crisis has been exacerbated by Mann's promotion of the PR-126 and other hybrid varieties of paddy, Bajwa alleged, which has resulted in lower yields. «Now it has been revealed that this variety yields about 5kg less rice per quintal after milling, compared to traditional varieties. This will cause losses to rice millers to the tune of Rs 6,000 crore,» he said, questioning who would compensate the millers for their losses.
Bajwa also referred to ongoing protests by 'arhtiyas'
