AAP to hold protest against BJP over ‘tardy’ paddy procurement in Punjab-OxBig News Network

AAP minister Aman Arora. File photo
| Photo Credit: Akhilesh Kumar

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will ‘gherao’ the Punjab BJP office here to protest the “tardy” lifting of paddy in the state, said senior party leader and cabinet minister Aman Arora on Tuesday.

Arora said this is the BJP-led Centre’s way of taking revenge from farmers for standing against the three now-repealed farm laws.

“They are deliberately slowing down the lifting process to create difficulties for farmers and commission agents,” alleged Arora in a statement.

He lashed out at the BJP-led Centre for not evacuating foodgrain stocks from Punjab, alleging the state has no space in warehouses for storing fresh crop.

Arora urged the people of Punjab to join the protest on Wednesday in large numbers.

The Punjab minister said, “There is no space in warehouses to store new grain, and mill owners also lack sufficient space.” “Farmers, workers, commission agents, and traders are all suffering because of this issue. Therefore, everyone should participate in large numbers to send a strong message to the central government,” he said.

A delegation of the AAP on Monday had met Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, seeking his intervention with the Centre for expediting the evacuation of rice stock from Punjab.

Notably, paddy lifting from mandis (grain markets) in Punjab was hit after the state rice millers refused to mill the paddy till their demands were met.

The rice millers have expressed concern over the out-turn ratio (post-milling yield) of the PR-126 variety and other hybrid varieties, claiming that it will cause them huge losses.

They are also demanding the evacuation of wheat and rice stock from the state to create more space for storing the fresh crop.