Can’t blame farmers for pollution: Mann

Tribune News Service

Khosa Pando (Moga), Nov 22

Lok Sabha member and state president of AAP Bhagwant Mann on Friday kicked off his statewide public contact campaign “Punjab da maan, Punjabian de naal” from Khosa Pando village in Moga district.

Interacting with rural folk, Mann lashed out at Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh alleging that the state had plunged into a deep financial crisis under his leadership, which had badly affected the overall socio-economic development.

Adding that the people of Punjab were reeling under social distress, he said the financial debts were mounting on small and marginal farmers, unemployment was haunting the educated youth, increasing crimes were disturbing women and children and above all,  drugs were ruining the society.

Mann promised villagers that he would raise their issues in the Parliament and press the Union Government to frame people-oriented policies for Punjab. 

He said it was wrong to blame farmers for pollution because neither the Centre nor the state government had initiated efforts for sustainable growth of agriculture in the agrarian state. “We can grow crops like maize, onion, garlic, pulses and oil seeds instead of paddy, but the successive governments never brought any concrete policy to attract farmers by offering them profitable rates for their produce,” he alleged.