White-fly attack: For better aid to farmers, Jakhar to file class action suit against Punjab govt

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Jakhar alleged that Agriculture Minister Tota Singh had washed his hands off the entire affair by terming it a natural disaster. “The CM should have given a clean chit to all officials concerned before starting his speech if this was the case. We would have heard him then. The Punjabi farmer is producing his crops in spite of the government and not because of it,” he said.

Demanding Tota Singh’s resignation on moral grounds, Jakhar said he is responsible as he is the head of the department concerned. He also held the CM responsible for the crisis in his capacity as the head of the government. “If the CM has guts he should call a spade a spade. He has not only shaken my faith in him but he has betrayed the trust of all farmers,” Jakhar said, adding that if the government kept functioning this way then farmers, who he said are the core voter group for SAD, would not allow the party leaders to enter their villages..

The Leader of Opposition went on to say while the stat government had gone onto register a case under Section 307 against Bains brother MLAs from Ludhiana for trying to stop illegal mining and against students who had been protesting against the government, no action has been taken against agriculture department officials who are culpable for the present crisis.

“How can the Punjab government justify its order that a Bayer company will not sell Oberon pesticide below a certain market price? How can a government six a minimum retail price? The government should pinpoint responsibility for this,” Jakhar said.

He said if the Prime Minister Narendra Modi could offer a financial package of Rs 1.25 lakh crores to Bihar then why cannot the CM go and ask for for a compensation package for Punjab farmers in case the loss was due to natural disaster. “Kisan ki jeb kaun bharega,” he asked, adding that the agriculture minister often says that the Director Agriculture does not listen to him and does not even come to his office when asked.