The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Saturday, September 28, 2002, Chandigarh, India

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No representation from Punjab, Badal told
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 27
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today assured SAD chief and former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal that the Centre would compensate the farmers either in the form of bonus or in some way.

Emphasising that the Punjab government had not made any representation to the Centre on the overall crop situation in the state, Mr Vajpayee characterised the dharna by Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and other Congress leaders here yesterday as “uncalled for.”

Further, the Prime Minister explained to Mr Badal that the case of Punjab for the enhanced MSP along with requisite compensation for drought had to be considered in totality along with Haryana and Andhra Pradesh comprising the three major rice-producing states.

Mr Vajpayee said he would consider the status report on Punjab most sympathetically.

After the Centre’s disappointing announcement of the MSP for paddy at last year’s rate, Mr Badal came rushing here and called on Mr Vajpayee urging for a review of the MSP coupled with adequate compensation for the drought-hit farmers in Punjab.

Mr Badal said he would be contacting Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu tonight to prepare a joint action plan.

Withdraw support on MSP, Capt dares Badal
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 27
The Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, has urged both the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Indian National Lok Dal to withdraw their support to the NDA government at the Centre to probe their claim of being pro-farmer political outfits. Reacting to the decision of the Union Government not to increase the minimum support price for paddy, the Chief Minister said since the Akali Dal and the INLD had been calling themselves as “messiahs” of farmers, they must protest against the anti-farmer decision of the NDA government and ask Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa to quit the Cabinet.

He criticised the Union Government for not announcing the date from which the official procurement of paddy would begin. Farmers in Punjab, he said, were facing sleepless nights for a long time, initially because of drought-like conditions and now because of the ‘apathy’ of the NDA government towards them.

Criticising the SAD chief, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, for his failure in getting the farmers of Punjab justice from the Centre, he questioned how could the part remain a mute spectator when its representative was a part of the Union Cabinet.

Captain Amarinder Singh sad his fight with the Centre over the issue of getting farmers remunerative price for their produce would continue till a fair deal was secured for them.