Chandigarh, October 26
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab attacked BJP leader and MoS Ravneet Bittu for lying outrightly. AAP MP Malvinder Singh Kang said that there is no issue with the seeds. If there were a problem with the seeds, how could the central government have issued a CCL for purchasing paddy? If there were a seed issue, the central government wouldn't release funds. He is just saying so to spread confusion and misleading the people.
Kang stated that the PR-126 seed was developed by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) with consensus from all relevant institutions, including rice millers, and it was approved by the central government. Whenever PAU prepares a new seed, it does so with collective agreement. This seed has been sown in Punjab for seven years without any issues. Now, when the central government has failed to lift the crops, they talk about having the seeds tested by IIT Kanpur.
Kang also refuted Bittu's claims about fake and expensive seeds, stating that no expensive seeds have been sold. The approved seed stores have been selling seeds at the fixed price of ₹56 per kilo. If Bittu heard of seeds being sold for ₹3500, why didn't he raise this issue in June or July? Now that the central government is exposed and in trouble, suddenly they are spreading misinformation about fake and expensive seeds. Kang said that BJP leaders want to divert people's attention from real issues with such statements.
This is all an excuse by the central government and BJP to trouble the farmers, traders, and sheller owners in Punjab. The BJP aims to ruin Punjab's farmers and is seeking revenge for the farmers' movement. The BJP harbors hatred towards Punjab's farmers.
Regarding the single custody issue, Kang said that the real owner of the grain is the central government. The responsibility for purchasing and maintaining the grain lies entirely with the central government. The state government only acts as a caretaker. Until all the crops are lifted from the mandis, the responsibility for their care falls on the state. By raising the single custody issue, the center is shirking its responsibilities and deliberately dragging the Punjab government and rice millers into it.
On the slow lifting of grain, Kang pointed out that if the central government claims to have lifted 15 lac metric tons of grain in October, why didn't it do so from January? If 15 lac metric tons had been lifted each month since January, by September there would have been enough space cleared for over 120 lac metric tons of grain. Then this issue wouldn't exist. This clearly shows that the BJP government is deliberately causing slow lifting to ruin Punjab.
Kang stated that the central government also held meetings with sheller owners but offered no solutions, sending everyone back disappointed. Meanwhile, the AAP government stands with the farmers, traders, and sheller owners of the state. The government is continuously trying to solve farmers' issues. We also appeal to the central government to focus on solving problems instead of engaging in blame games.