Congress nominee slams govt over delayed paddy purchase

Amid the growing resentment among farmers, Congress candidate from Karnal Sumita Singh Virk visited the grain market and criticised the government for its failure to ensure timely procurement of paddy. She said that farmers were at the receiving end.

Surrounded by a group of farmers, Virk accused the government of neglecting farmers’ concerns during this crucial harvest season.

She interacted with farmers, who expressed their anger over the government’s broken promises. Farmers complained that despite the government’s announcement, paddy procurement has been delayed, forcing them to wait in the grain markets. “Farmers told me that their paddy crop was not being procured, so I visited the grain market to review the situation. The government has failed to fulfill the promises,” said Virk, adding that registration of rice millers was yet to be done.

She said despite advancing procurement dates, the reality in grain markets was different. Farmers were waiting with their produce while the administration turned a blind eye,” she added.

Virk further alleged that the delay in procurement was politically motivated, accusing the ruling BJP of prioritising their election campaign over addressing the plight of farmers. “Instead of focusing on securing votes, they should be focusing on securing the livelihoods of our farmers. This is a clear example of mismanagement and insensitivity,” she added.

On the other hand, BJP candidate from Karnal Jagmohan Anand claimed that the BJP government was concerned about the farmers, due to which it had requested the Union Government to advance the procurement. “On the request of the state government, the Union Government has advanced the procurement of paddy. Procurement agencies have also started the purchase. The authorities are also in touch with the rice millers for starting registration for the custom-milled rice (CMR) policy, 2024-25,” said Jagmohan Anand.