Punjab LoP Partap Bajwa demands implementation of Swaminathan report, debt waiver for farmers
Feb 24, 2024
Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], February 24 : Punjab Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa on Saturday said that the Centre should accept the demands of the farmers and implement the Swaminathan report.
Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, Punjab Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa said, "We demand that the Central Government to implement the Swaminathan report, only then will the value of giving Bharat Ratna to Swaminathan be truly considered".
Urging the Centre to accept the 'debt waiver' demand of the farmers, Bajwa stated that "Punjab is facing water scarcity, and the soil quality is deteriorating. We appeal to the central government to waive off the loans of all farmers," he said.
"When Prime Minister Modi came to power, the farmers had a debt of 9 lakh crores, but now it has exceeded 23 lakh crores. If the debts of billionaires can be waived, why not those of the farmers?," he added.
Bajwa demanded a special session to be convened for a thorough discussion on the issues of farmers.
Drawing attention to recent incidents of human rights violations by Haryana police, Bajwa criticized Chief Minister Khattar for allegedly suppressing the farmers' voices. He questioned the authority under which the police are being used to hinder the farmers' protests, citing instances of illegal actions and the use of non-legal weapons against the farming community.
To press the Centre to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) for crops and farm debt waiver, the farmers have been camping at the border points since February 13 along with their tractor-trolleys, mini-vans and pickup trucks.
However, during the last round of talks, which ended past midnight on February 18, the panel of three Union ministers had proposed buying five crops -- moong dal, urad dal, tur dal, maize and cotton -- from farmers at MSP for five years through central agencies.
