AAP leader accuses Centre of 'U-turn' on promise to farmers

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today accused the BJP-led Central government of taking a "U-turn" on its pre-poll promise to the farmers of ensuring a 50-per cent profit over the input costs for them.
AAP Punjab convenor Gurpreet Singh Waraich said, "It was indeed very disappointing to know that Union Agricultural Minister Radha Mohan Singh has completely ruled out implementing one of the major recommendations of the MS Swaminathan Commission, a 50-per cent profit over the input cost for the farmers."
He said before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in many of his public speeches, had promised to double the farmers' income.

"This is nothing but sheer cheating and betrayal by the BJP with the voters," the AAP leader alleged.
Yesterday, replying to a reporter's question that why the Centre had not implemented the recommendation of the commission, despite the BJP promising the same before the 2014 polls, Singh had said the government was "committed to increasing the income of the farmers".
"We had talked about increasing the farmers' income in our poll manifesto and we are committed to increasing it by one-and-a-half times. We have formed a committee in this regard which will come out with its report in December. But, we are already taking steps which are in the interests of the farmers," the Agriculture Minister had said.

Waraich said it was also sad to know that the government had no plans to waive the loans of the farmers of Punjab which had been a long-pending demand and due to which, a huge number of farmers were committing suicide in the state.
The AAP leader said if Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had even "an iota of respect and sympathy" for the farmers and businessmen of the state, he should immediately severe ties with the BJP government.
"But, knowing Badal's greed for power and money, we all know that he will never do that no matter how much the BJP government humiliates him," Waraich said and added that before the 2014 election, even the Punjab chief minister had urged the people of the state to vote for Modi and the BJP.