The PCC president Nandkumar Pate has complained to the Union Minister of state for Food and Civil Supplies KV Thomas that the Chhattisgarh government was not procuring paddy grown in Rabi season owing to which the farmers were incurring huge loss. Patel lodged complaint to Thomas during his New Delhi visit on Tuesday noon. On the occasion, Patel was accompanied by leader of Congress Legislators Party (CLP) Ravindra Choubey, AICC treasurer Motilal Vora, Lok Sabha member from Korba Dr Charandas Mahant, state coordinator of Kisan Khet Majdoor Congress (KKMC) Digvijay Singh Kridutt and a delegation of farmers.
Patel informed Thomas that the state government was adopting double standards in paddy procurement process. He said the government was not purchasing farmers’ paddy grown in Rabi season at minimum support price (MSP) and sought Centre’s intervention into the matter. Thomas assured Patel and other Congress leaders that he would soon write a letter to the Chhattisgarh government to procure paddy throughout year.
Notably, the paddy politics boiled in the state after the state Congress unit recently decided to launch aggressive agitation against the government if the farmers’ paddy would not be procured at MSP.
Mounting pressure on Chief Minister Raman Singh, Patel demanded that the government should purchase paddy crops grown in Rabi season along with that grown in Kharif season at MSP.
The Congmen also informed the minister that the state government neither kept its promise of giving Rs 271 bonus to the farmers against per quintal of paddy purchased nor was providing free electricity to them for irrigation purpose. They said the farmers in the state were in dire straits and their condition would aggravate like those of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh if the Centre would not take any proactive measure and issue necessary instructions to the Chhattisgarh government.
In the meeting, the Union Food Secretary informed the state Congress leaders that the Centre had already directed all the state government to purchase paddy throughout the year. If any state would not follow the Centre’s instructions then it would have to mandatorily give prior information at least one month before, the Union Secretary said.
After meeting, Patel said the information regarding paddy procurement given by the Union minister clearly indicated that the Chhattisgarh government was deceiving the farmers. He said the Congress would not tolerate government’s negative attitude towards farmers. “We will fight for farmers till the government starts procuring paddy grown in Rabi season,” he said.
He further took a dig at BJP state president Ramsewak Paikra’s remark on paddy procurement and said, “The BJP itself is divided on paddy purchase issue. The CM says that each grain of farmers’ paddy would be procured while Paikra says that paddy grown in Rabi season should be purchased by the Centre. Both the statements are contradictory and the CM being the head of the state should clarify what actually is the government’s intention,” said Patel.
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