Farmers have suffered, but Khattar govt not bothered: Surjewala

Senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala Monday charged the Khattar government in Haryana of being "insensitive" to the plight of farmers whose crops have been damaged by the recent rains and hailstorm in the state.

Surjewala wondered if the BJP government in the state was delaying the "special girdawari" or revenue survey to assess loss caused to paddy, cotton, sugarcane and bajra crops to "benefit" the private companies operating under the Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).

"Is the Khattar government not conducting a special girdwari to benefit the private companies in the Fasal Bima Yojana," he asked.

Surjewala, a legislator from Kaithal, alleged that while farmers were being deprived of minimum support prices (MSP), untimely rains and hailstorm that destroyed 25-40 per cent of their crops had added to their misery.

"The farmer is facing insurmountable misery and exploitation as an autocratic Khattar government has become a mute spectator. By not conducting a special girdawari, the anti-farmer face of Khattar government has been exposed," he said at a press conference here.

"Even today, thousands of acres of crops in Dadri, Badhra, Mundhal, Jhajjar, Meham, Julana, Safidon, Jind and Kaithal are under acute water logging but the Khattar government is in deep slumber. It is insensitive to the plight of farmers. Besides, extensive damage has been caused to bajra and cotton crops in Narnaul, Mahendergarh, Kanina, Bawal, Rewari, Haily Mandi and Farukhnagar in southern Haryana by untimely rains," Surjewala claimed.

Notably, heavy rains had lashed several parts of Haryana between September 22 and 24, while rain accompanied by hailstorm caused crop damage in many parts of the state, especially in the northern region, during October11-12.

"The rains in October caused extensive damage to the rice and sugarcane crops in Ambala, Yamuna Nagar and Panchkula districts of north Haryana," he said.

"Despite all this, the Khattar government has neither ordered any special girdawari nor has given compensation of even a single rupee. Even, no compensation has been demanded by the state from the Centre," Surjewala claimed.

Claiming that farmers were being duped and not getting the MSP for paddy, Surjewala said, "the fraud in purchase of bajra crop is even bigger. The MSP of millet is Rs 1,950 per quintal but more than 70 per cent of farmers get only Rs 1,300-1,350 per quintal. Various stringent conditions imposed by the government on the purchase of bajra at MSP has forced a majority of farmers to sell bajra in the open markets at much lower prices."