Diktat to restrict paddy cultivation amounts to denial of fundamental rights, says Congress

Congress slams Haryana government over curbs on paddy sowing

Haryana Congress on Sunday said the state government’s ‘diktat’ to restrict the paddy cultivation to half in 19 blocks amounted to denial of fundamental right of livelihood to the farmers.

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Addressing a joint press conference, state Congress president Kumari Selja and AICC communication chief Randeep Singh Surjewala criticised the BJP-JJP government for ordering farmers of Siwan, Guhla, Pipli, Shahabad, Babain, Ismailabad, Shahbad, Ratia and Sirsa blocks to restrict paddy cultivation to half.

“The state government has not only asked the farmers to compulsorily switch to maize cultivation on half of their land without offering a better option, it has also threatened that all the farm subsidies would be taken away and there would not be any procurement of paddy. This is an insensitive regime that is imposing anti-farmers orders,” the Congress leaders said.

They said the Congress was not against the crop diversification or water preservation, but was against the denial of ‘inalienable’ rights to the farmers.