Farmers: We expect little from former CM

Reacting to the visit of former Chief Minister of Punjab and senior BJP leader, Capt Amarinder Singh, to Asia’s biggest grain market in Khanna on Friday, farmers said they were expecting little from him.

“We are expecting little from Capt Amarinder Singh. Though he visited the grain market to take stock of the slow paddy procurement, he too is part of the BJP and had little say in the party. Some of our farmers met the former CM at the grain market and he assured them that he would take up the issues with the Centre. Let him take up the issue first. This sudden visit will not serve any purpose. It is to be seen if the ex-CM has any power to solve the issues of farmers,” said Amrit Benipal of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Lakhowal) who was leading a protest on the Amritsar-Delhi highway in Khanna against tardy procurement of paddy on Friday.

Both the Centre and state are hand in glove and want to destroy farmers. After October 29, farmers would show black flags to all leaders of the state and Centre if they visit the grain markets. Farmers would not even spare Capt Amarinder and will show him black flags if he visits mandis without doing anything on the ground for the welfare of farmers, added Benipal.

Meanwhile, some farmers said that during the regime of Capt Amarinder Singh, farmers had not faced any procurement issue. Harpreet Singh, a farmer from Boothgarh village near Khanna, said compared to the previous years, procurement is quite slow. He brought his stock yesterday and the procurement process is yet to start.

Pavitar Singh, a farmer from Faizulapur, Khanna, said that he had brought his produce to Khanna mandi about a week ago and there was no hope of lifting yet. He held both the ruling parties at the state and Centre responsible for his mess.

Manpreet Singh, another farmer from Faizulapur village, said that one of the reasons causing delay in lifting of paddy is the hybrid variety of PR-126 short duration rice. Sheller owners are not accepting this variety because it has an issue of broken grains and millers are of the view that if they accept this variety having broken grains, they would be in a loss.

A commission agent of Khanna grain market, Sachin Sahi, said, “We welcome former CM Capt Amarinder Singh at the grain market and hope that he will strongly take up the matter with the Centre for the sake of farmers, commission agents and sheller owners.”