Capt. back stabs farmers of state by aligning with sugar mill mafia

Rozana Spokesman

News, Punjab

AAP legal cell offers to provide free legal service to farmers

Harpal Singh Cheema

Spokesman News Service: Chandigarh, December 7, 2018: The Aam Aadmi Party on Friday criticized Capt. Amarinder Singh led Congress govt. for lodging FIR against 1600 farmers who were agitating against the owners of private sugar mills over delay in payment of their crop. The party threatened to gherao the residences of cabinet ministers and chief ministers if the cases against farmers were not dropped within a week.

In a statement issued from party headquarters, the Lop Harpal Singh Cheema accused Capt. govt. of backstabbing the agitating farmers by taking side of the sugar mill mafia. He said that on one side the govt. was in talks with the agitating farmers to quit the agitation and then forcefully registered cases them. Harpal Cheema said that AAP stands with the agitating farmers in thick and thin and announced to provide free legal service to the farmers.

He said that a team under the leadership of legal wing head Jastej Singh Arora will look after the cases if the farmers are willing to get the service. Cheema said that move of govt. to pay Rs. 25 per quintal to sugar mill owners is being advertised as if the govt. have provided relief to the farmers but in real the hard earned money of tax payers is given to the mill mafia.

He said that the centre govt. had fixed Rs. 275 per quintal rate of sugarcane for this year but the state sugarcane control board has then suggested to pay bonus of Rs. 35 on the MSP but the sugarcane owners have denied to pay that. He said that the govt. is not serious to provide relief to the farmers and playing in the hands of sugar mill mafia.

Cheema said that govt. providing option to the mill owners that thay can pay the money of the sugarcane to the farmers after selling their product in the market is a blunder and the mill owners will again delay the payments of farmers. He said that the govt. must force the mill owners to pay Rs. 310 per quintal to the farmers and also ensure that the farmers must get the pending payments within 15 days.