Farmers Movement Archive

Hry not paying arhtiyas, mandis shut: Surjewala

Chandigarh: Congress national general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala on Wednesday claimed that there was a conspiracy by the Haryana government to shutdown grain markets in view of an outstanding payment of Rs 258 crore payable to 30,000 arhtiyas on the purchase of paddy and Rs 250 crore to lakhs of labourers.Surjewala described the BJP-JJP government as an “enemy of farmers-labourers and arhtiyas”. He said the government was determined to gradually close down mandis by weakening them continuously. By not paying the amount of Rs 508 crore to arhtiyas, the government wants to achieve the same objective, with which it had brought in three black farm laws, he said. He said this was government’s strategy, so it could implement the now-repealed farm laws.He said when the process of paddy procurement by the government was over on November 15, 2021, payments were yet be made to arthiyas and labourers. “Does the government want that the farmers’ wheat should not be procured, because if the previous outstanding payment of labor is not made, then how the labor would be available for the ensuing wheat season?” he said.Surjewala said Union agriculture minister Narendra Tomar had also recently given a statement that the three agriculture laws would be brought back, which made it clear that the PM Modi government once again intended to bring back the farm laws after elections in five states.

The Times of India

2021-12-30

Chandigarh