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BKU Charuni protests for flood relief to Haryana farmers
BKU (Charuni) president Gurnam Singh Charuni, who addressed a gathering at the Kurukshetra’s mini-secretariat, said, “The government is forcing us to hold these protests as it wants to end the agriculture sector.”
Accusing the government of turning a blind eye to the plight of farmers who lost their crops to floods and heavy rain, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni) staged protests at the district headquarters across Haryana on Monday.
They demanded the immediate release of flood compensation and advancing of the Parmal rice procurement to September 15.
BKU (Charuni) president Gurnam Singh Charuni, who addressed a gathering at the Kurukshetra’s mini-secretariat, said, “The government is forcing us to hold these protests as it wants to end the agriculture sector.”
He further said, “The government is writing off loans of big corporate houses which run into crores but it is not able to provide flood compensation to the farmers.”
The farmers also submitted a memorandum, demanding that they should be allowed to sell the sand and silt mineral accumulated in their fields due to floods in low-lying areas, duty exemption for parmal rice, and lifting of restrictions of basmati exports. The farmers also demanded the sugarcane state advised price (SAP) to be hiked to ₹450 per quintal from ₹372.
Charuni warned the government of statewide protests and highway blockades if the procurement of parmal rice is not started by September 15.
Farmers gathered at the Karnal’s mini-secretariat said that the most of parmal varieties of paddy are harvested in 90 days thus the government should start procurement from September 15 as paddy transplantation had officially started from June 15.
The Charuni group also protested outside the offices of Ambala and Yamunanagar deputy commissioners. BKU Charuni’s Yamunanagar unit president Sanju Gudiana said the government had still not declared the compensation for damaged poplar trees and sugarcane crop.
Farmers left for fend for themselves: Hooda
Former Haryana chief minister and leader of opposition Bhupendra Singh Hooda also hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party-Jannayak Janta Party dispensation, stating that people are being harassed in the name of Compensation Portal, Meri Fasal Mera Byora and others.
“The government has left the flood-affected farmers to fend for themselves. Even after so many days, farmers have not been compensated yet. Instead of giving compensation, the government has kept the farmers entangled in a web of portals,” he told the reporters in Ambala.
He also alleged that the govt is deliberately not starting the procurement of paddy, as they want to deprive the farmers of MSP.
