Lashing out at Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh-led state government for not listening to the plight of the farmers and not making prior arrangements regarding procurement of wheat and gunny bags (bardana), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Kotkapura and Kisan Wing president, Kultar Singh Sandhwan along with leaders of the party’s KIsan Wing staged a protest and gheraoed Cabinet Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu’s residence here on Tuesday. Sandhwan along with the leaders including Gurbhej Brar, state joint secretary, Kisan Wing, Mahinder Sidhu, Chetan Singh Jormajra, among others raised slogans against the failure and collusion of the Captain government with Prime Minister Narendra Modi government at the centre.

The AAP leaders were stopped by the police outside the official residence of minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu. The leaders raised slogans and demanded immediate solution to the problems faced by the farmers in the mandis. The leaders also sat on dharna outside the residence and were later assured of resolving the issue by the minister. Addressing the media on the occasion, MLA Kultar Singh Sandhwan said that Captain Amarinder Singh and his minister of food and civil supplies Bharat Bhushan Ashu, had failed in making firm arrangements for wheat procurement and gunny bags in the mandis of the state and should wake up from its slumber. He said that due to the lax arrangements of the Captain government, the farmers were hassled and due to the lack of gunny bags, the procurement and disbursement of the crop by the farmers of Punjab had been facing severe difficulties.

Taking a dig at Captain Amarinder Singh and minister Ashu, Sandhwan said that Captain and his minister were deliberately harassing the farmers to please their boss PM Modi and make him happy. He said that due to lack of gunny bags and negligence of the state government, rain had destroyed lakhs of tonnes of wheat in Punjab mandis. “Captain Amarinder’s failure and collusion with Modi is the reason that the farmers are distressed and taking extreme steps of ending their lives,” added Sandhwan. Questioning the minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, he asserted as to why arrangements were not made three months prior before the procurement period.

Sandhwan said that every year during the procurement season, the same problem of bardana and lifting of crops arises, but the government still did not make prior arrangements. “The government is there for making adequate arrangements and providing solutions to the problems of the people and not to boost and flourish mafia rule in the state,” he said. He said that due to inclement weather and rains across Punjab, the crop of farmers was spoiled in the mandis which was very unfortunate and worrisome. Sandhwan said that the farmers in Punjab had been struggling and suffering in the mandis for days over their crops.

The AAP leader said that the farmers had been sitting in the mandis since last week and the Punjab government was dilly-dallying the matter everyday claiming to make arrangements for gunny bags. “Corruption is prevalent in the mandis and the farmers are distressed. Is your government not capable of making adequate arrangement of gunny bags (bardana) in the mandis? Do the people of the state have voted for you, for harassing them,” Sandhwan questioned minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu.

He further said that the farmers of Punjab were already struggling against the three black farm laws and were suffering from severe mental stress and the attitude adopted by the government towards the farmers at such a time was reprehensible.

The AAP leaders demanded the Captain government that immediate action in this regard along with strict instructions to the officials concerned be given so that the farmers could avoid struggling in the mandis and their wheat crop could be procured in an orderly manner.

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