SAD claims its helpline reveals no action taken against Congmen sowing paddy before June 20

A day after the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) launched a helpline for farmers whose paddy crops were being ploughed by Punjab Agriculture Department for sowing before June 20 deadline, the party claimed that the helpline revealed that the government was not initiating action against the Congress men sowing paddy before the deadline.

The party claimed that its helpline “to stop forceful destruction of standing paddy on dictatorial dictates by the Congress government” had already started delivering results with farmers consolidating at hundreds of places to thwart re-plowing of their transplanted paddy fields by government officials.

“The helpline with number 9815399333 has received more than 500 calls since its initiation on Thursday evening with a major share of calls being received from the Malwa region. Immediately after receipt of calls, wherever prompt action was needed, the SAD district leadership was sounded off and they visited the areas and assured farmers that they would stand by them and not let their fields be re-plowed,” said the former minister Bikram Singh Majithia.

He said: “This action has had a salutary effect. The inhuman destruction of farmer fields, just because the farmer was sowing paddy as per old guidelines because he had tied up with labour and wanted to ensure his produce did not have high moisture content, has stopped. However, the Akali cadres will remain vigilant and wherever we find any attempt is being made to destroy transplanted paddy, we will oppose it tooth and nail and not allow this at any cost.”

Majithia said that it had come to light that the government machinery was not taking action against farmers who were known Congress supporters and leaders even if they had sowed vast tracts of paddy before June 20 deadline fixed by the government.

“One prominent case which has been reported is of Congress man Kewal Khatkar of Musapur in Nawanshahr who has transplanted 20 acres of paddy,” said Majithia while making it clear that the SAD would come to the aid of every distressed farmer be it a Congressman or AAP, BSP or Leftist.