Sukhpal Khaira accuses Rana Gurjeet of promoting BJP model to privatise crop marketing

Bholath Congress MLA Sukhpal Khaira has accused his party colleague and Kapurthala MLA Rana Gurjeet of promoting a BJP model to privatise crop marketing.

Rana, while speaking at a function in Muktsar on Monday, announced he would purchase maize from farmers for two years at the Minimum Support Price (MSP). 

Khaira’s outburst at Rana comes days after General Secretary Incharge of Punjab, Bupesh Baghel, asked party colleagues to raise their internal issues on party platforms. Khaira and Rana have been at loggerheads in the past.

Taking to the social media platform X, Khaira said he totally disagrees with Rana for propagating private purchase of maize, primarily for his ethanol plants.

Khaira said Rana’s model supports the BJP government’s proposal to implement private marketing of crops, as proposed in one of their three ‘black laws’ that led to farmers’ protest in 2021.

Questioning Rana for making the announcement on maize in Punjab, at a time when Congress was gearing up for the 2027 elections, Khaira further questioned Rana for allegedly working at the behest of the BJP to create confusion within the Congress ranks. This, particularly after recent Income Tax raids on his business establishment and the SEBI order penalising him for Rs 63 crore, and allegations of cheating shareholders to the tune of Rs 600 crore in the stock market by his companies. 

Khaira said that while Rana was promising MSP on maize, why hasn’t his newly acquired Phagwara Sugar Mill paid Rs 27.74 crore in sugarcane arrears owed to farmers since 2021-22, in addition to beetroot crop arrears owed by his industry. 

“Being an office bearer of Congress, he should have raised the issue on the party platform”, Khaira added.