The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday accused Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh of playing a fixed match with the central government on the direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme and asked him as why he kept the farmers and arhtiyas (commission agents) of the state in the dark on the issue.
Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, senior party leaders Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra, Tota Singh and Sikander Singh Maluka demanded rollback of over 50% hike in fertiliser prices by the Centre. They said why the CM was not opposing the decision aimed at punishing farmers for protesting against the Centre’s three agriculture laws.
“The CM made a big show of opposing the DBT scheme. During a recent meeting with arhtiyas he announced that come what may all payments for grain procurement will be routed through them only. But the Punjab ministers led by Manpreet Badal abjectly surrendered before the Centre in a meeting with Union minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday. It is also a fact that the Congress government had committed to implement the scheme from the forthcoming rabi season,” they said.
Claiming that implementation of the DBT scheme would increase social strife, Chandumajra said the relations between the farmers and arhtiyas would be poisoned and it would cause problems to those who have leased out their land.
{{/usCountry}}Claiming that implementation of the DBT scheme would increase social strife, Chandumajra said the relations between the farmers and arhtiyas would be poisoned and it would cause problems to those who have leased out their land.
{{/usCountry}}The SAD leaders also announced that its leaders will fan out in the mandis on Saturday to ensure procurement was initiated in earnest.