Zero Hour: Congress corners AAP over 'Rs 4,000-crore paddy scam'

Demanding a high-powered Vidhan Sabha committee to investigate allegations of a Rs 4,000-crore scam in paddy procurement payments to farmers last year, Congress legislators put the Aam Admi Party (AAP) government on the defensive during Zero Hour on the last day of the Assembly session on Friday.

Leading the charge, Tript Rajinder Bajwa said, “Farmers across the region allege they were not paid the MSP of Rs 2,300 per quintal as recorded on paper. Instead, they received payments between Rs 1,700 and Rs 2,100, with the remaining funds allegedly used during the recent Delhi Assembly elections.”

Countering the claim, Minister for New and Renewable Energy Aman Arora dismissed the allegations as baseless.

“Payments are directly credited to farmers’ bank accounts. Can you provide a single complaint filed at any level to support your claim?” he said.

Leader of Opposition (LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa said the allegations were serious and should be investigated by an in-house Vidhan Sabha committee rather than a departmental inquiry.

Arora, however, accused the opposition of misusing Zero Hour for political gains, calling their claims “unsubstantiated.”

Meanwhile, Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains raised concerns about political interference in the supremacy of the Akal Takht.

He urged the House to discuss the broader issues involving the Akal Takht, the SGPC, and the SAD.

Manpeeret Singh Ayali, a member of the Akal Takht’s committee to supervise the SAD reorganisation, called the developments “unfortunate”, saying, “Reorganising the SAD is a matter of interest for the entire Sikh community, not just certain individuals with personal agendas.”

AAP MLA Manwinder Singh Gyaspura urged the House to condemn the recent killings of six Sikhs in Balochistan, suggesting that an official statement be sent to the Centre to register the House’s resentment.

Raja Sansi MLA Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria called for government aid to assist farmers who lost their crops during heavy rains earlier this month.

Congress MLA Aruna Chaudhary alleged political bias in the allotment of pucca houses under a central government scheme in her Dinanagar constituency, claiming that the poor were being unfairly denied housing based on political affiliations.

AAP MLA Kulwant Singh Baazigar said it was unfortunate that Sansis, Bazigars, and Rai Sikhs who came from Pakistan after partition had not been given any land.

“They have lived on these lands for decades, yet their properties remain unregistered in official records. This is unjust, and the government must address it immediately,” he asserted.