Chandigarh, April 7 Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Tuesday claimed that instead of procuring at the minimum support price (MSP), the BJP government in the state is imposing new conditions for buying farmers' crops.
The Congress leader, who will soon be touring mandis (grain markets) in the state to assess the problems faced by the farmers, claimed that he has been receiving continuous reports from farmers across the state regarding the "chaotic conditions prevailing in the mandis".
The leader of the opposition (LoP) aimed that instead of procuring wheat and mustard, the BJP government is imposing new conditions on farmers on a daily basis.
"Farmers find themselves entangled in the bureaucratic maze of fulfilling requirements such as portal registration, gate passes, guarantors, biometric verification, tractor registration numbers, and general verification, and they are consequently forced to wait for several days just to sell their produce," he told reporters in Bhiwani.
"Caught between the government's oppressive policies on one hand and the vagaries of the weather on the other, farmers are being crushed under the dual burden. Due to incessant unseasonal rains, the standing crops of farmers have suffered extensive damage. Under these circumstances, the government should immediately conduct a special Girdawari (crop damage assessment) and provide compensation to the affected farmers," he stated.
The opposition demands that, in addition to the minimum support price (MSP), farmers be provided with a bonus as well, he added.
Hooda said the government must streamline the arrangements at the mandis, remove unnecessary conditions and ensure the procurement of crops as soon as possible.
To convey the farmers' concerns to the government, the LoP himself will tour mandis across the state to listen to their grievances, he said.
Additionally, similar directives have been issued to all Congress MLAs, instructing them to visit the mandis in their respective constituencies to raise the farmers' voices and alert the government and the administration.