Punjab: Aam Aadmi Party Protests Against Centre Over 'Slow' Paddy Lifting

Chandigarh: The Punjab Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) held a protest against the Central BJP government over the issues of what they alleged, slow procurement of paddy and the lifting of old grains in Punjab’s markets, here on Wednesday.

Even as the Chandigarh police detained several of the leaders including ministers and used water cannons to thwart them as they tried to march towards the state BJP office - and even tried to jump over the barricades put up by police – to protest against the alleged slow lifting of paddy.

It may be recalled that the paddy lifting from the grain markets across the state has been hit with the rice millers refusing to mill the paddy already stocked with them till their demands were met.

The protesters were led by several AAP ministers including Harjot Singh Bains, Harbhajan Singh, Tarun Preet Singh Sondh, Lal Chand Kataruchak and Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, the party's working president Budhram, state general secretary Harchand Singh Barsat and several MLAs.

Addressing the protesters, Harbhajan Singh alleged that the Central government did not deliberately lift the old grains from godowns this time resulting in the overflowing markets with paddy leaving farmers, traders, sheller owners, and laborers distressed.

He further alleged the problem lies with the Central government and its agency, FCI, while the Punjab government has been writing to FCI for the past seven to eight months, and chief minister Bhagwant Mann has met with Central ministers, but no action has been taken.

Bains also alleged that the Central government has always wronged Punjab and that it was unfortunate that while people across the country are celebrating Diwali, farmers in Punjab are struggling in the mandis. Their fault is that they fought against the BJP government's black agricultural laws, he added.