Don't think any other state has done as much for farmers: Haryana CM

As farmers continue their protest at the Delhi-Haryana border, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, in a free-wheeling conversation with ANI, said that he doubts whether any other state has done as much for famers as his.

"The opposition is troubled when we talk about farmers. Farmers are our Annadatas. So we look into their problems. I don't think any other state has done as much for farmers as we have," the Chief Minister said.

Listing out the steps taken by his government for farmers, Khattar said, "Which other state buys 14 crops on MSP in the country? Which other state gives crores of rupees for vegetables and fruits under the Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana? Which other state has increased loan amounts given to farmers and also waived off interest and penalties? Over Rs 1,700 crore worth of loans have been waived off."

Khattar said that farmers in his state face no problems but they are protesting because they want to stand in solidarity with their fellow farmers in Punjab who do not get such assurances from their state government.

"There are no problems faced by farmers in Haryana. But in Punjab, farmers are expressing their pain as they don't get what we are giving to our farmers in the state. They (the opposition) want to stand with them (Punjab farmers). The farmers have understood which government is their well-wisher," the Chief Minister pointed out.

Speaking on allegations levelled by the Delhi government on stubble burning in Haryana, the Chief Minister argued that the government has taken several steps to assist farmers in managing stubble ranging from helping them to make by-products from their stubble to financial assistance, leading to eradicating the problem of stubble burning in the state.

"We are managing stubble burning from day one. We have given farmers machines to manage stubble, we are also giving them money. We are supporting those who use stubble to make by-products of it, like making ethanol, producing electricity, making briquettes for manufacturing coal like in thermal plants. We are also supporting industry in this way. This helps farmers, industry and also helps in controlling environmental pollution. In this way, we have stopped the stubble-burning issue in Haryana," Khattar said.

Lashing out at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Khattar said that it is their responsibility to stop the stubble burning issue in Punjab if they keep complaining about it since it is the AAP government that is in power there.

"The Aam Aadmi Party creates so much noise in Delhi about stubble burning. But we don't burn stubble here. If polluted air as a result of Punjab's stubble burning reaches Delhi, it is their responsibility to fix it. This is because they are in power in Punjab. If you see satellite images of stubble burning, if there are 10 cases reported here, 100 are reported in Punjab. So it is their responsibility to stop stubble burning in Punjab," the Chief Minister said.