Cong making misleading remarks, says minister

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 12

State Agriculture Minister Jai Parkash Dalal, while thanking farmers of the state, said despite facing many problems in this hour of Covid, they had played a pivotal role in ensuring that there were adequate food grain stocks for both the nation and the state.

Addressing a press conference, here on Tuesday, he advised Congress leaders to desist from political mongering in this hour of crisis. “Rather than making misleading statements, all must unite to face this pandemic. However, it seems that Congress leaders’ sole purpose is to criticize the state government’s welfare policies,” he said.

Coming down heavily on Congress leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala and Kumari Selja for their recent media statements questioning the state government’s exclusive ‘Mera Pani Meri Virasat’ scheme aimed to conserve water, Dalal said such statements made by these Congress leaders clearly exposed their political immaturity and dubious motives.

Taking a jibe at both the Congress leaders for indulging in ‘doublespeak’, the Agriculture Minister said, “The Congress which today is pretending to be farmers’ well-wisher had not implemented any such scheme during their tenure.”

He said even during the Covid pandemic, by increasing the number of mandis the procurement process had been hassle-free. He said during 2018-19, the total food grain production in the state was 181.44 lakh metric tonne, whereas in 2013-14 during the regime of the previous government this figure was only 153.54 lakh metric tonne. He said the present state government had introduced a number of schemes in the interest of the farmers.