Chandigarh, March 29 Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala on Sunday raised several issues related to wheat procurement in Haryana, alleging that Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini was hatching a "novel conspiracy to avoid procuring wheat and mustard at the Minimum Support Price (MSP)".
He said that the government has imposed multiple conditions regarding the procurement, including mandatory registration of tractor-trolley numbers, in-person gate pass collection at mandis (grain markets), and biometric verification.
"Besides, the conditions stipulate a restricted gate pass window from 6 am to 8 pm," he said.
Surjewala claimed that this was a "novel conspiracy to avoid procuring wheat and mustard at the MSP".
"Keep creating complexities, hurdles, and procedural obstacles, reduce procurement targets, halt lifting operations, deplete storage capacities, this is the BJP's conspiracy!" Surjewala alleged.
He said that after being compelled to repeal the three "anti-farmer 'Black Laws'," the BJP governments at both the Centre and in Haryana are now "conspiring to dismantle the MSP system for crops through the back door".
"The Haryana government's latest 'Tughlaqi edict' is, in reality, a cruel conspiracy to avoid procuring farmers' crops', specifically the Rabi harvest, particularly wheat and mustard, by creating absurd complexities, arbitrary hurdles, and procedural impediments during the procurement process," he alleged.
He said that the primary condition imposed for wheat procurement is that "the farmer must transport the crop in their own tractor-trolley; the registration number of that tractor-trolley must be clearly inscribed on it in legible characters; a photograph of the tractor-trolley and its number will be taken at the mandi (grain market) gate; this photograph will be uploaded to the government's portal; and only after a clear image and number have been successfully uploaded will the process for issuing a gate pass to the farmer proceed further."
"Now, the question which arises is, does every farmer own their own tractor-trolley? If not, what are they expected to do? If a farmer arrives with a different tractor-trolley on different occasions or has rented it for the purpose, will the portal accept the different tractor-trolleys and distinct registration numbers brought by the same farmer each time?" he asked.
He asked, when a farmer brings his produce to the mandi for sale, why are complications, such as requiring photographs of the tractor-trolley, registration details, photo uploads, etc., being introduced?
"Will this not create obstacles in the process of selling crops?" he added.
Surjewala said that farmers typically harvest their wheat crops using combine harvesters, which operate continuously, day and night, and become available at varying times, and the condition of a stipulated time frame will create difficulty for them.
He said that the government has imposed a condition that every farmer who registers their crop on the 'Meri Fasal, Mera Byora' portal must personally visit the mandi to provide their biometric thumb impression alongside their tractor-trolley; alternatively, they may designate up to three individuals as their nominees.
"Does the BJP government fail to understand that, until the entire harvest is complete, the farmer remains in the field, while family members or fellow labourers simultaneously transport the harvested produce to the mandi?", Surjewala asked.
"If farmers are compelled to halt their harvesting operations and visit the mandi every single time, how is the harvest supposed to get done? Furthermore, does this not amount to creating arbitrary and unnecessary hurdles without any valid justification?" he asked.
He further questioned the biometric system, asking what steps would be taken if, over time, a farmer is worn down and his thumbprint has faded, as observed in the disbursement of pensions to the elderly.
He added that a lot of farmers in Haryana don't own the lands they work on. They take the lands on lease. If the owner of the land fails to show up for biometric at the mandi, "what becomes of that poor, landless farmer, and how is he to sell his produce?"
The Congress leader alleged that the state government has created yet another hurdle by issuing a directive stating that an exit pass will be issued and consequently, the crop will be allowed to leave the mandi, only after it bears the signatures of three authorities: the Secretary of the Market Committee, an official from the procurement agency, and the transporter responsible for lifting the produce.