Whitefly attack: Parkash Singh Badal gives clean chit to Tota

Reacting to CLP leader Sunil Kumar Jakhar;s demands seeking the resignation of the agriculture minister, for monetary loss to cotton farmers due to “spurious” pesticide, Badal said only the late sown cotton crop was affected in the state since no heavy rain was experienced after it was cultivated.

[related-post]

Moreover, cotton farmers in Haryana had suffered much more damage to the crop and yet only Punjab was being seen as a villain, he added.

“The special girdawri ordered to assess the damage caused by the whitefly attack would be completed by 30th of this month. After that we would compensate the farmers,” the chief minister said.

Calling the alleged scam in purchase of pesticide Oberon a procedural issue, Badal said the government has ordered two inquiries to investigate the scam. The government has assigned an inquiry to the secretary of the department. It has also constituted a Special Investigation Team led by ADGP (crime) to inquire into the scam. “We transferred the director of Agriculture to ensure that the inquiry is not influenced in any way. We have asked four officers to go to the villages, speak to the farmers and raid the dealers”.

Defending himself for not taking any action on the he departmental officials and the minister, Badal said the government was waiting for the inquiry reports, which are expected soon: “The CM does not look good if he says anything before the inquiry establishes anything. I assure justice will be delivered and anybody found guilty in supplying spurious pesticide will not be spared”.

He said, as a part of lessons-learning exercise, another committee of Vice Chancellors of agricultural universities of both Punjab and Haryana and other cotton experts from centre and Haryana were empaneled to find a solution to the white fly.  He said the government would try its best to get as much compensation for the cotton farmers, who had spent a lot of money on spraying pesticides 4-5 times.

Incensed at the boycott of his speech by the opposition, the chief minister took a dig at the Congress by stating they were in bad shape, “They talk about the white fly on cotton, but they are infested by the white fly themselves,” Badal said.

He did not mince any words to convey his displeasure to the Speaker saying the latter needed to clamp down on the opposition. , “Chaudhry sahib (Jakhar) speaks during every question, every call attention notice. Speaker sahib, you give them a lot of elbow room. Tuhanu uhna te lagaam kasni paini hai,” CM Badal said.