New Delhi, Oct 14 (UNI) The Congress on Monday warned against an impending agrarian crisis in Punjab due to the non-availability of storage space for about 185 lakh metric tons of paddy which is likely to arrive in the market by the end of the current procurement season.
The party alleged that it was a well thought out conspiracy by the BJP in association with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to destroy the state’s economy.
Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, the Punjab Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Partap Singh Bajwa said that the agrarian crisis can spiral out of control and may lead to serious law and order crisis.
He said that Punjab was expecting about 185 lakh metric tons of paddy to arrive in the ‘mandis’ (markets), but, there was no space available in the godowns across the state, as the previous stocks had not been cleared.
Referring to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s statement after meeting the union Food and Civil Supplies Minister Pralhad Joshi that he had assured that all the old godowns will be cleared by March 31, Bajwa said, it was impossible to clear the entire space within next four months.
He blamed both Mann and the central government for not taking timely measures to clear the godown space in the state so that the new produce could be stored there.
The Congress leader also alleged that this was being done with an intention to force farmers to go for distress sale and help Adani buy the produce at cheap prices as he has massive storage capacity with silos in Moga, Raikot and Kathunangal in Punjab.
Asserting that the party did not expect anything from Punjab Chief Minister saying he was incapable and incompetent, the Punjab CLP leader sought immediate central intervention to diffuse the crisis which has a potential to boomerang into a major problem as has happened in the past.
Accusing Bhagwant Mann of playing a double game, Bajwa remarked, “he is running with the hare and hunting with the hounds”, while claiming that while on the one hand he was with Kejriwal, on the other hand he was in regular touch with the BJP for a long time.
He said, he has always been saying that Mann will be the “Eknath Shinde” of Punjab, suggesting that he might align with the BJP after ditching AAP, the way Shinde did after ditching Shiv Sena.
