Rajkot (Gujarat)/ Chandigarh, October 31:
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Friday said that the oppression and atrocities on farmers being made by the BJP will prove to be the last nail in the coffin for the wiping up of the saffron party from the political scene of the country.
Addressing the Kisan Mahapanchayat here today, the Chief Minister, accompanied by National Convener of AAP Arvind Kejriwal, said that hard working and brave food growers of the country will teach BJP a lesson for their high handedness. He said that the power mad leaders of the saffron party had adopted an anti-farmers stance, which is not in the interest of the country. Lauding the enormous contribution of farmers in making our country not only self-reliant but surplus in food production, Bhagwant Singh Mann recalled those unfortunate days when India faced acute shortage of food grains and was seeking it from other countries.
In his address, National Convener of AAP Arvind Kejriwal said that the atrocities by BJP on the land of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel has brought disgrace to the entire country. He said that the AAP wanted to felicitate the families of 85 farmers who have been arrested by the BJP government but the state government has denied it. Arvind Kejriwal said that the AAP is solidly with the farmers of the country in this hour of crisis and will leave no stone unturned for bailing them out.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Chief Minister said that today only Punjab contributes 180 Lakh Metric Ton of paddy and 150 Lakh Metric Ton of wheat in the national food pool. Highlighting the insensitivity of the BJP towards farmers, he said that the state government in Gujarat has not given a single penny of compensation to the farmers after untimely rain, which destroyed their crops. On the other hand, Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the Punjab government disbursed the cheques for compensation to its farmers within a month after the floods ravaged their crop.
The Chief Minister said that for the first time, farmers are being paid Rs 20,000 per acre as compensation to the farmers, which is the highest in the country. He said that the massive turnout in this mahapanchayat in which the farmers came on their own reflects that the downfall of the BJP has started. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the haughty leaders of BJP are targeting the farmers just to corner benefits to their friends, which cannot be tolerated.
The Chief Minister said that though the ‘Achhe din’ are still a delusion but the ‘Sachhe din’ will soon come in the country when the wise and brave people of the country will oust the saffron party from. Bhagwant Mann said that the countrymen need a government that can cherish the aspirations of all the freedom fighters whereas the BJP is just unleashing an era of tyranny and injustice on them. He said that people will soon send these leaders to political oblivion adding that the huge rush of people in this farmers mahapanchayat is a reflection of this.
The Chief Minister said that farmers are at the receiving end during the regime of the BJP as they are being booked for even seeking their legitimate rights which is totally wrong. He said that the BJP and its governments both at the centre and state have become a puppet in the hands of the affluent businessmen, who are being extended largesse. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the assets of the country are being sold at meager prices to the friends of the Union government which is very unfortunate.
Describing agriculture and farmers as the backbone of the country, the Chief Minister said that it should be given top priority whereas the arrogant BJP leaders are ignoring it. He said that the anti-farmer policies of BJP have further accentuated the woes of the farmers, whose immense contribution in making the country self-reliant in food production has been ignored hitherto. Expressing solidarity with the farmers, Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the AAP is solidly with them in their fight against oppression, injustice and tyranny.
