M A I N   N E W S

Rs 30 bonus on paddy of 2001
2 Punjab CPI legislators join Congress
P.P.S. Gill
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 2
The all-party meeting, joined by representatives of farmers’ organisations, today formed a joint “sangharsh” committee to chalk out the future course of action on the paddy procurement muddle, which stands highly politicised.

The strategy evolved at a smaller meeting, presided over by PPCC President H. S. Hanspal, revolved around, 1) convening a special session of the Vidhan Sabha to discuss paddy problems, 2) Capt. Amarinder Singh leading a delegation to meet the Prime Minister and 3) embark upon the next course of action after waiting for a response from the Centre.

Bowing to collective cajoling and pressures from 30-odd speakers at the meeting, the Chief Minister announced to fulfil the Congress’ poll promise of paying Rs 30 per quintal as bonus on paddy for last year. This bonus, however, will be split into three equal instalments, in view of the financial crunch and paid by October next. The first installment would be paid right away to farmers who show “J” forms, the second in April and the third in October next.

In fact, almost all speakers urged the Punjab government to take the lead before asking the Centre to loosen its purse strings. Besides the promised Rs 30 per quintal as bonus, the speakers demanded Rs 50 per quintal as bonus for the current year.

Even as the meeting ended with unanimous condemnation of the Centre for its “discriminatory” treatment of Punjab and farmers, the Congress improved its party tally in the Vidhan Sabha by two. This happened with two CPI MLAs — Mr Gurjant Singh (Bathinda) and Mr Nathu Ram (Malout) — resigning from the CPI and joining the Congress.

Though the meeting was boycotted by two major opposition parties — the SAD led by Mr Parkash Singh Badal and the BJP — the CPI received a setback with two of its MLAs attending the meeting in their capacity as CPI representatives and joining the Congress, as the meeting ended. The two were welcomed into the party by the PPCC President Hanspal and Capt Amarinder Singh.

There was a unanimous resolution, which gave a slogan — “‘Kisan bachao, Dili chalo”. The resolution demands Rs 760 per quintal as the MSP, Rs 100 per quintal as bonus adequate compensation to farmers who sold paddy between September 21 and October 1 at prices lower than the MSP and compensation for farm labour.

Several speakers were forthright in their comments at the meeting, which was attended by Cabinet Ministers, MPs and others. It went on at Punjab Bhavan without lunch break. Where the government received bouquets for its support to the cause of the farmers, including appreciation for the “dharna” staged by Capt. Amarinder Singh in New Delhi, the meeting was not without its share of brickbats for the government. The convening of the meeting was called a “belated” step though a “welcome one” and fingers were pointed at the government for doing too little, too late to pursue the case for a higher MSP and the date for procurement of paddy.

In the past 20 years, the kisans had borne losses totalling Rs 3,00,000 crore, Mr Sharad Joshi pointed out. Second, Punjab had to dispel the impression that its farmer was rich and well off. The truth is that he was drowned in debt.

A majority of the speakers were repetitive in their comments and kept harping on known issues. But almost everyone talked of taking radical steps to make agriculture remunerative, not to charge for electricity, desilt canals to increase their carrying capacity, which is down to a mere 65 per cent, pay equal attention to compensate the ‘’khet mazdoor’’, waive or reschedule co-operative loans and treat defaulters in the same way as other loanees of commercial banks and financial institutions, who never cared to pay back and were always in the company of politicians and bureaucrats.

In fact, Mr Balbir Singh Rajewal (BKU) was blunt in saying that if the government did not announce any ‘’relief package’’ of its own today, this meeting, too, would be dubbed as “a gimmick’’.

A representative of the small scale industries said 40 per cent of the units in this sector were ‘’sick’’. Joblessness was on the rise. People were agitated and wanted promises to be fulfilled. At this Mr Satnam Singh Kainth said there was dichotomy in the government agenda and the Congress election manifesto promises. Unless the two were dovetailed credibility would get eroded. The representatives of farmers’ organisations and Left parties — Mr Mangat Ram Pasla, Mr Balwant Singh etc. — spoke against the WTO and its policies.