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Congress Government Promoting Itself by Disgracing Us, Says Farmers

April 5, 2018 | By Sikh Siyasat Bureau

Gurdaspur/Amritsar: On the one hand Punjab government is repeatedly maintaining that it is caught in a severe financial crisis and undue expenditure should be cut down to bring the state out of financial fix, but on the other hand it is spending lakhs on holding functions to distribute ‘debt waiver certificates’ to farmers whose debts are waived being waived. Government had invited criticism by inviting singers to perform during these functions and heavy amounts were paid to such singers from Public funds.

In yet another controversial move, the Punjab government has reportedly decided to hand them over 6 ft by 3 ft placards, also called “parman patars” (certificates), mentioning their names and the amount of debt during Thursday’s loan waiver function.

A report in The Tribune (TT), notes that the Gurdaspur Co-operative Bank has got 30 such placards prepared from Amritsar. These will be handed over to select farmers by Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh as was done in the loan waiver functions in Mansa and Nakodar.

Farmers’ Union leaders claimed that the debt of farmers should be waived, but the public show of disgrace should not be avoided.

“There is no shame in being poor. But making public our poverty in front of a gathering of 30,000, including our relatives and children, indeed hurts. Was such a ‘parman patar’ given to former CM Rajinder Kaur Bhattal when her Rs 84 lakh penal rent was waived in September last year? The government should have credited money into the accounts of farmers. These placards are not ‘certificates of honour’ as the government is making us believe. They are actually ‘certificates to dishonour’ us,” The Tribune quotes Satbir Singh Sultani, vice-president, Punjab Kirti Kissan (small farmers) Union.

Kashmir Singh, a leader of Bharitya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) from Ajnala region said that the government should not disgrace the farmers and there is no good reason for the Capt. Amarinder Singh led government to hold such functions and these functions are being held out just for self-promotion by the Congress party government.

“The Congress Government is promoting itself by disgracing farmers”, he said while adding that even the debt waiver scheme announced by the government has limited implication and the overall situation of majority of farmers in Punjab won’t change. He said that the scheme will bring only partial relief and that too for a section of the state farmers.

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Related Topics: Congress Government in Punjab 2017-2022, Punjab Farmers, Punjab Government

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