Chandigarh, April 11
Various factions of the BKU have given a call to farmers to boycott grain markets on April 17 and 18 in Punjab to protest against the import of wheat and the silence of the Centre on increasing the minimum support price( MSP) of wheat. An impression has gained ground among farmers that the Union Agriculture Minister, Mr Sharad Pawar, is playing politics with the farmers of Punjab.
“While Mr Pawar is all concern for farmers of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala, he is not bothered about Punjab farmers, who have been contributing 40 per cent rice and 60 per cent wheat to the national pool to feed crores of people across the country”, said Mr Balbir Singh Rajewal, general secretary of one faction of the BKU.
He said that while Mr Pawar held a meeting with the Chief Ministers of four southern states on the issue of farmers’ suicides yesterday in Hyderabad, he had not uttered even a word of sympathy for the farmers of Punjab, where, according to the BKU, 13,000 farmers had committed suicide in recent years.
“We are all for giving a substantial package to the distressed farmers of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra and Karnataka. At the same time the farmers of Punjab should not be treated as if they are from another planet and deserve no help from the Union Government”, said Mr Rajewal. The Union Government was not ready to acknowledge cases of farmers’ suicides in Punjab. At yesterday’s meeting, Mr Pawar talked about suicides by farmers in southern states and did not make mention of Punjab and Haryana. “It makes it abundantly clear that Mr Pawar is not bothered about what is happening to Punjab farmers”, said Mr Rajewal.
Punjab farmers grow staple food crops. Farmers in most of the southern states grow commercial crops. “There is need for the Union Government to get its priorities right”, he added.
The three major factions of the Bharti Kisan Union, which gave a call yesterday for the boycott of the grain markets, here today held a meeting with senior leaders of the Punjab Commission Agents Association.
The association, which was led by Mr Bal Krishan Singla, assured full support to the boycott of the grain markets to the BKU leaders who included Mr Ajmer Singh Lakhowal, Mr Rajewal and Mr Pishora Singh Sidhupur. Though these BKU leaders represent different factions, they formed a joint front yesterday in Ludhiana.
Mr Rajewal told The Tribune that Mr Singla would send a written
intimation to all units of the association with regard to the boycott of the markets on April 17 and 18 and for taking active part in the protest.There are two main demands of the BKU leaders. One is to increase the MSP of wheat, which is at present Rs 650 per quintal, to Rs 950 per quintal, the rate at which it is being imported from abroad. The other is the cancellation of the import order. Mr Rajewal said that he had got information from reliable sources that the Union Government was importing wheat which was grown for animal consumption in Australia and other wheat-exporting countries.
Mr Rajewal said the Union Government had earlier exported wheat at Rs 450 per quintal. “There is no planning as far as managing the food sector is concerned at the Union Government level”, he added.
Mr Rajewal said that in spite of the repeated efforts of the Punjab Government, the Union Government was maintaining silence on the issue of increasing the MSP of wheat. He said that while the prices of inputs had gone up several times the increase in the MSP announced for this year was only 1.2 per cent.
On the other hand eight organisations of farmers were fighting against an industrial group. A group of farmers was not ready to give land to that group. However, the state government intervened to get the land acquired for that group. Farmers had started their agitation not only against the industrial group but also the state government which had been using force to
suppress the agitating framers in the Barnala area, he added.
