MP incident should not be seen in isolation, says Hooda

Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today said the farmer unrest in Mandsaur 'should not be seen in isolation' as there is anger among cultivators because the BJP retracted on its poll promise to implement the Swaminathan Commission report.
"When hard working farmers, who meet the food needs of this nation, ask for their due, they are fired at and five of them are killed, in police firing, in Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh.
"This incident should not be seen in isolation as farmers of the country are up in arms against this government, which has gone back on fulfilling its poll promise to implement Swaminathan Commission report," Hooda told reporters here.

"It is not the question of farmers of Madhya Pradesh alone. There is anger among farming community across the country," Hooda, who was also the Chairman of Working Group on Agriculture Production during the previous Congress led UPA government, said.
He called for urgent steps to fix the MSP (minimum support price) of crops in line with the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission.
Hooda urged the central government to intervene immediately to resolve the "crisis" gripping the farming community across the country.

Hitting out at the BJP government, he said, "they promised to double the farmers' income by 2022, but they hesitate when it comes to implement the Commission's report".

"The BJP is in the habit of creating illusion in people's minds," he added.
Hooda said that he will be the first one to welcome if the government implements the Swaminathan Commission report.
The National Commission on Farmers, headed by eminent agriculture scientist M S Swaminathan, in its final report had said: "The Minimum Support Price (MSP) should be at least 50 per cent more than the weighted average cost of production.
"The key to resolving the farmers' problems in the country lies in the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report," the two time former chief minister said.
Senior Congress leader and former Haryana Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Sharma said, "over 60 per cent farmers in this country are in agitation mode".

On the power situation in the State, Hooda said people are fed up because there are major power cuts every day, with situation being worse in rural areas.
"Before 2005, electricity problem used to be a big poll issue. But during our time from 2005 to 2014, people forgot about it as an issue because power situation improved. But in next state assembly elections, this will again be a major poll issue," he said.
Hooda also hit out at the BJP government in Haryana over alleged deteriorating law and order situation.
He referred to an incident which occurred last week in Barara area in Ambala district when ruling BJP MLA Santosh Sarwan, along with her personal staff and son, was returning to Chandigarh after inaugurating development works in the area when some men in a car forced her driver to stop the vehicle and threatened her of dire consequences.

"I talked to Santosh Sarwan over phone today. One can imagine the law and order situation in the state, if a BJP woman legislator, who is a Dalit, is targeted like this, what can be the plight of ordinary citizens," Hooda said.
He said that Sarwan had told him today that an FIR has been registered on her complaint, but nobody had so far come to her to ask her details about the incident.
Hooda, who is facing heat in some cases including the industrial plots allotment case in Panchkula and Manesar land deal case said, "I have already stated that I will fully cooperate with investigating agencies, but everyone knows that these cases are politically motivated and registered out of sheer vendetta.