Congress booklet accuses BJP of ‘ignoring’ farmers’ issues

Chandigarh, January 19

Titled “Aamdani na hui doguni, Dard sau guna” (Incomes have not doubled, but pain increased 100 times), the Congress today released a booklet on issues and challenges facing the farming community here today.

Launching the booklet at a joint press conference, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala along with Punjab unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu said the BJP not only failed to double the farmers’ income as promised, but also burdened them with additional taxes on farm inputs and gave them the pain due to the recently scrapped agricultural laws. Surjewala said the BJP’s “anti-farmer” mindset stood exposed.

Yellow revolution for revival

The party’s Punjab model envisages MSP on dal, edible oil and maize under yellow revolution. The government will pay 50 per cent salaries of all labourers working in farms up to 5 acres. Navjot Singh Sidhu, PCC Chief

Sidhu, linking the farmers issue to his Punjab model, said the party’s Punjab model envisaged to give MSP on dal, edible oil and maize under yellow revolution, the government would pay 50 per cent labour salaries for all labourers working in farms up to 5 acres. In case of crash in the market prices, farmers could get 80 per cent loan on storing their crops in state-owned warehouses or cold storages, which will be built for every five villages.

Focusing on producing “food derivatives”, the PCC president said these had 10-20 times more value than just foodgrain. —