2017 Punjab assembly polls: AAP, rebels in race to woo farmers

Not only the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), but also its rebels who had been expelled from the party, under the banner of ‘Swaraj Abhiyan’ seem to be in a race to make maximum political benefit out of the farmer issues, including the distress caused to them due to cotton crop loss and the number of suicides committed by the farmers under debt due to other reasons.

Not only the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), but also its rebels who had been expelled from the party, under the banner of ‘Swaraj Abhiyan’ seem to be in a race to make maximum political benefit out of the farmer issues, including the distress caused to them due to cotton crop loss and the number of suicides committed by the farmers under debt due to other reasons.

Even as AAP is trying hard to cash on the issue ahead of 2017 Punjab assembly polls and party leaders are visiting many suicide victims’ families and holding protests, the rebels are making their efforts to strike a chord among the farming community over the issue by announcing to file a petition in the Supreme Court, seeking adequate compensation for the cotton crop loss and proper inquiry into alleged pesticide scam.

The Swaraj Abhiyan leader and eminent lawyer Prashant Bhushan would be holding a public hearing of farmers affected by cotton crop loss in Bathinda on December 27 at Teachers Home. Swaraj Abhiyan leader Prof Manjit Singh in a press conference, here on Friday, said Bhushan would file a petition on their behalf in the apex court. He said they have talked to different farmer leaders to get people to the public hearing. It is being seen as an attempt by former AAP leaders to woo Punjab’s farming community hit by the loss of cotton crop.

The AAP in Punjab is also trying to woo farmers on this issue ahead of the 2017 polls. It held protests across the state on December 15.