AAP Minister Aman Arora. File Photo | Photo Credit: Akhilesh Kumar
Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and cabinet minister Aman Arora on Tuesday said the party will “gather” at the Punjab BJP office to protest against the “sluggish” paddy harvest in the state.
Arora said this was the BJP-led Center’s way of retaliating against farmers who were opposing the now-defunct three farm laws.
“They are deliberately slowing down the upgrading process and creating difficulties for farmers and commission agents,” Arora said in a statement.
He slammed the BJP-led Center for not evacuating foodgrain stocks from Punjab, claiming that the state did not have enough godowns to store fresh crops.
Arora urged the people of Punjab to participate in Wednesday’s protests in large numbers.
“There is no space in the warehouses to store new grains and millers are also lacking adequate space,” the Punjab minister said. “Farmers, workers, commission agents and traders are all suffering due to this problem. Therefore, everyone should participate in a big way and contribute to the central government Sends a strong message,” he said.
An AAP delegation on Monday met Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria seeking his intervention in the Center to expedite the removal of rice stocks from Punjab.
Notably, paddy harvest in Punjab’s mandis (grain market) took a hit as state-run rice mills refused to crush paddy until their demand was met.
Rice millers have expressed concerns over the milling yield (yield after milling) of the PR-126 variety and other hybrid varieties, claiming it will bring huge losses to them.
They also called for the removal of wheat and rice stocks from the state to create more space to store fresh crops.
Published – October 30, 2024 06:17 AM (IST)