Hooda govt is anti-farmer: INLD

Haryana's main opposition party INLD today criticised the Hooda Government, alleging that it was anti-farmer.
INLD senior leader and MLA from Ellanabad Abhay Singh Chautala and party state president Ashok Arora said farmers had suffered loss due to last month's floods in Yamunanagar, Karnal, Panipat and Sonipat districts, "but the government has turned a blind eye to their plight".
"There are some villages in Yamunanagar district where fertile land has been completely washed off. The Hooda government, which calls itself as pro-farmer, has not cared about the farmers' plight and should suitably compensate them," Chautala demanded.
He alleged, in the name of flood protection measures, huge sums of money were "siphoned off every year and there was no actual work done on the ground."

"Instead of suitably compensating them, the Hooda government recently rubbed salt on their wounds by giving cheques of Re 1, 2 and 3 in the name of compensation," they said.
However, when his attention was drawn towards cheques of very less amount given to farmers as compensation for their damaged crops as alleged by INLD leaders, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda while addressing a separate press conference here today said the state government had been giving the highest compensation to farmers in the country and at a rate of per hectare and not as per person.

Chautala and Arora also targeted the Hooda government alleging that it is making false announcements by saying that farmers' lands will neither be auctioned on late payment of loans nor would they be sent to jail for defaulting on loans.

"In reality, around 25,000 farmers have been declared as defaulters and advance cheques have been taken from them at the time of giving loans," Chautala said.
Asked to comment on the allegations, Hooda said the government has decided that neither the farmers' land would be auctioned nor would they be put behind bars.