Farmers hold protest in Haryana, highlight several issues

Farmers and agriculture sector workers held a protest rally here today demanding immediate solution of the their various problems including disbursement of compensation for the crop damage, independent probe into the alleged paddy scam, rollback of hike in the power tariff and others.
A large number of farmers from Hisar, Sirsa, Fatehabad, Jind, and Bhiwani took out a procession and marched to the Deputy Commissioner's office and staged a dharna at the mini-secretariat.
The farmer leaders from All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) and and Khet Mazdoor Union addressed the protesters and lashed out at the state and Central governments for "betraying" the peasantry.

They attacked the state government for "deliberately" delaying the disbursement of compensation for the damage caused to cotton crop due to white-fly attack this year.
"Also, instead of controlling the stray cattle menace the BJP government is playing politics over cow while these cattle have become a big menace for the crops," AIKS leader Krishana Prasad alleged.
He said "lopsided" policies were responsible for deepening the crisis in agriculture and unemployment "but the BJP government has backed out from its pre-election promises like implementation of the Swaminathan Commission recommendation and is serving the interests of corporate sector."
Another AIKS leader Harpal Singh and former CPI(M) state secretary and AIKS vice president Inderjit Singh also addressed the gathering.