Swaraj Abhiyan has decided to fight the case of Punjab farmers whose crops were destroyed in white fly attack in courts, and claimed the government cannot shirk its responsibility in the supply of "spurious" pesticides to the cotton growers.
Stating this here this evening, Swaraj Abhiyan leader and national convenor of Jai Kisan Andolan Yogendra Yadav and Patiala MP Dharamvira Gandhi said noted Supreme Court lawyer and Abhiyan's national leader Parshant Bhushan will meet the affected farmers and hold a legal camp at Bathinda on December 27 in this regard.
Jai Kisan Andolan is a Swaraj Abhiyan-led farmers movement. "Bhushan will fight this case like innumerable other such cases free of cost," Yadav said.
Yadav said that in the past few months he had visited 10 states in India which were drought affected and which were struck with famine like conditions.
"Swaraj Abhiyan after a detailed survey of these states had submitted memorandums to chief ministers of these states demanding immediate steps for the distressed. However, in the wake of inaction by these states, Parshant Bhushan ji knocked on the doors of Supreme Court on behalf of these drought affected farmers...
"Now he will fight a case on behalf of the cotton farmers of Punjab and demand damages for massive loss to cotton crops in the state," Yadav told reporters here.
Both the leaders held the alleged anti-farmer policies and widespread corruption in the government machinery responsible for the white fly induced destruction of cotton crop in the state this year.
"This is not a natural disaster. This is not a matter in which the government can extend some small relief measures to the farmers. This is a matter where the government is criminally culpable. Therefore, we have decided to take the matter of farmers crop loss to the court, not demand relief and compensation, but the damages which the government owes.
"For this purpose, we have called a public hearing of the affected farmers in Bathinda on December 27, which Prashant Bhushan will attend. Here farmers will be invited and requested to join this petition and to file their cases to be taken to the court demanding damages," Yadav said.
Yadav, who was expelled from AAP, along with Bhushan,
alleged, "This is a case involving criminal culpability of those in power. Therefore, we also demand that Agriculture Minister Tota Singh must resign because his continuing in power will seriously affect the nature of investigation in this case."
"This was not a natural disaster but a result of fake and spurious pesticides sold by the connivance of unscrupulous government officials, politicians and corporates," Yadav said.
A few days ago, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) held state-wide protests against the SAD-BJP regime, demanding resignation of Agriculture Minister Singh in connection with the pesticide scam.
A top official of Punjab Agriculture Department had been arrested around two months ago for his alleged role in the supply of "spurious" pesticides to cotton growing farmers, whose crops was damaged in pest attack.
The state government had also ordered a probe into the sale of "spurious" pesticides by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising three Inspector Generals of Police under the direct supervision of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Crime.
