Whitefly attack: Badal slams Cong for misleading farmer

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today lashed out at Congress saying it was blowing out of proportion the issue of white-fly attack on cotton crop and misleading farmers for vested political interests.
Badal also asked Congress leaders to refrain from "shedding crocodile tears" over this sensitive issue.
The Chief Minister, in a statement today, expressed solidarity with the farmers and said state government would compensate the cotton cultivators for their loss for which special 'Girdawari' (crop loss assessment) was being done and the entire exercise would be over by September 18.
Stressing that the SAD-BJP government was with the farmers in this hour of crisis and every step would be taken to bail them out, Badal said, Congress was blowing the matter out of proportion for "vested political interests", and party leaders were indulging in such cheap tactics to gain political mileage in the dearth of any tangible issue against his government.

He, however, said the farmers would not get swayed away by these "tantrums" of Congress as they were well aware of its "dubious and anti-farmer" character.
Squarely holding Congress responsible for the plight of farmers in the state, Badal said, farmers were reeling under a whopping debt of Rs 32,000 crore because of the "regressive" policies of the successive Congress-led governments at the Centre.

The Chief Minister said SAD had always remained votary of the farmers and worked to safeguard their interests.
Badal said due to the persistent efforts of the state government, the NDA government has recently revised the relief norms to the distressed farmers for the crop damage due to natural calamities across the country.

Now, the farmers would be eligible for input subsidy if 33 per cent of their crop has been damaged instead of earlier norms of 50 per cent or more, he added.
Badal termed as best the state's land acquisition model in maintaining transparency and said it was a matter of great satisfaction and pride for the state that after stiff opposition from political parties, the Government of India has now agreed to implement the Punjab model purely on its merit.
The Chief Minister said he had always lend a helping hand to the peasantry whenever it had faced any challenge or hardship due to some natural calamity by ensuring procurement of their harvest in a smooth and hassle-free manner.

He said, on the contrary, Congress leaders enjoyed their tenure in the offices without caring about farmer's plight.
Badal termed resolution of impending sugarcane crisis as his top priority and said a positive beginning has already been made by the state government by clearing the outstanding arrears to the tune of Rs 540 crore to cooperative sugarmills.