The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday announced to launch protests pan-Haryana against what it termed as "anti-farmer" functioning of Haryana BJP government from February 21.
Stating that the AAP workers would also give salt packets (namak ki theli) to all MPs to remind them of their promises made to farmers before polls, AAP senior leader Yogendra Yadav said that the BJP government at the Centre as well as state had betrayed the farmers by functioning contrary to their interests, hence the stir named as ``jai kisan abhiyan’’.
Briefing newspersons here, Yadav alleged BJP government in Haryana was lying to the farmers that there was no shortage of urea whereas the official figures showed that the Central government allowed import of only about 17 lakh tonne urea from June to October whereas in the period last year, more than 43 lakh tonne urea was imported. ``Appears, the government is trying to hand over the business to corporate houses by steadily de-controlling it’’, he held.
Yadav said that the BJP had promised to give farmers 50 % more on crops while it had failed to do so. Not only this, the government has also been dilly delaying in deciding the minimum support prices of crops and even said that there were no millet and maize.
Flaying the Central government’s ordinance on land acquisition, Yadav said that it was shocking to see how it was trying to defeat the very purpose of the Bill which had been amended after over 90 years to benefit the farmers. ``The provision for taking the consent of 70% of the stakeholders before acquiring any land was being removed, besides dropping the clause for the social impact analysis before any acquisition while according to ordinance, there would no longer be any provision for returning the land in case it is not used for the purpose it was acquired for five years,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Flaying the Central government’s ordinance on land acquisition, Yadav said that it was shocking to see how it was trying to defeat the very purpose of the Bill which had been amended after over 90 years to benefit the farmers. ``The provision for taking the consent of 70% of the stakeholders before acquiring any land was being removed, besides dropping the clause for the social impact analysis before any acquisition while according to ordinance, there would no longer be any provision for returning the land in case it is not used for the purpose it was acquired for five years,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}The AAP national spokesman further alleged that the state government had also amended the land acquisition act, which was amended on December 4, 2014, according to which the compensation to the farmers had been halved.
Stating that the AAP would stage a demonstration in Gurgaon on February 21, in Karnal on February 22 and Sonepat the next day, besides six other districts, Yadav said that the AAP would protest fight till the end on the said four issues pertaining to farmers.