AAP slams Centre for slow paddy lifting

AAP leader and senior spokesperson Neel Garg, while acknowledging the farmers’ right to protest, claimed that the situation has arisen due to the central government’s policies and its neglect of Punjab.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday blamed the central government for the farmers’ protest, accusing the Food Corporation of India (FCI) of deliberately not emptying the grain godowns and leading to current challenges.

The AAP spokesperson urged farmers’ organisations not to stop the trains, as this could give the central government an excuse for the slow pace of lifting. (HT File)

AAP leader and senior spokesperson Neel Garg, while acknowledging the farmers’ right to protest, claimed that the situation has arisen due to the central government’s policies and its neglect of Punjab. He said that Punjab has contributed to the central grain reserves for many years, yet the FCI has not emptied the warehouses, causing losses for rice millers. “This has led to a halt in the buying of new paddy,” he added in a press release.

Garg mentioned that the chief minister and other ministers have engaged with the Union agriculture minister, who assured a solution, but progress has been slow. “While some special trains have been initiated by the central government for lifting grain, the process remains sluggish,” he said. The AAP spokesperson urged farmers’ organisations not to stop the trains, as this could give the central government an excuse for the slow pace of lifting.