Pesticide scam: AAP hits out at Badal govt

The Punjab convener of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Sucha Singh Chhotepur, today slammed the SAD-BJP government over the alleged pesticide scam.
"It is unbelievable that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal comes to know about the details of the pesticide scam only after additional chief secretary Suresh Kumar makes his enquiry report public," the AAP leader said.
"A fact that Badal has to rely on a bureaucrat rather than his own cabinet minister Tota Singh for a true picture is a pointer which straight way shows that the minister has lost the confidence of the chief minister," he said in a statement.

Tota Singh is "equally culpable of the offences" for which Director, Agriculture, Mangal Singh Sandhu has been arrested. Tota Singh, being head of the state agriculture, cannot absolve himself of the charges saying that he knew nothing about what all was happening under his charge nor was he aware of the ground situation.
"For a minister who claims to be a know-all about farming and farmers' problems, it seems improbable that he knew nothing about the pesticide purchase scam," he said.
When the white fly attack was going on the minister should have visited fields, found out spurious pesticides, and taken remedial measures to save crops, the AAP leader said.

"In fact, after knowing facts about the damage to cotton, he (Tota) on his own should have enquired and fixed responsibility and sacked the Director, Agriculture," he said.

Tota Singh was abroad wooing NRIs and was not aware of the probable damage taking place on ground while white fly was playing havoc on cotton, he said, demanding that all public servants involved in the scam be punished and their salaries stopped.
Punjab Agriculture Director Mangal Singh Sandhu has been arrested for his alleged involvement in the supply of "spurious" pesticides to cotton growers whose crops have been damaged by the pest attack.

On September 2, Bathinda police had registered a case in connection with the supply of "spurious" pesticides and had nabbed a representative of pesticide supplier who had disclosed that Director Agriculture allegedly accepted graft money for the supply of spurious pesticide.