Chandigarh: A day after the party blocked roads over the SYL issue, the INLD today launched the Jan Jagran Abhiyaan, a campaign to mobilise people throughout the state to get Haryana share of waters.

Chandigarh: A day after the party blocked roads over the SYL issue, the INLD today launched the Jan Jagran Abhiyaan, a campaign to mobilise people throughout the state to get Haryana share of waters.

Addressing mediapersons here today, Abhay Singh Chautala, Leader of Opposition, said the campaign had started and would continue till September 25, the birth anniversary of party founder and former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal.

He said besides mobilising people on the SYL issue, the INLD would also raise issues of farmers’ plight because the farming community, he said, was the worst affected during the BJP rule.

“Prior to the 2014 parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to implement the Swaminathan report. However, the BJP government retracted after attaining power,” said Abhay.

He demanded that till the recommendations of the Swaminathan report, which provided 50 per cent profit to farmers on their input costs on crops, was implemented, the government should waive farmers’ loans.

Hitting out at the BJP government for the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), Abhay alleged that the government forcibly collected Rs 17,184 crore from farmers across the country and gave to companies owned by the likes of Ambani and Adani last year, but the insurance companies paid claims of just Rs 6,808 crore to farmers.

He demanded scrapping of the scheme or payment of premium from the state exchequer.

Abhay also castigated the government for imposing heavy GST on agricultural inputs and implements, which were earlier exempted from taxes.

Terming the Congress as the B team of the BJP, Abhay said the connivance of the two parties was first witnessed when Congress MLAs voted for Subhash Chandra, BJP-supported candidate, and now it had been proved by former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s meeting with Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar yesterday.

Answering a question, Abhay said the kisan panchayats of Hooda were nothing but an attempt to test political waters because the former CM had made up his mind to quit the party.

Hailing Supreme Court’s order on the SYL issue, Abhay maintained that his party’s stand that the Centre must implement the apex court’s verdict had been vindicated.

Congratulating his party workers for “peaceful road jams” yesterday, Abhay demanded that the Centre should immediately start the construction of the canal.