CHANDIGARH, Dec 31: Punjab and Haryana farmers were left nursing their woes themselves in 2015, even as political parties remained engaged in a blame game amid large-scale damage to the crops including due to pest attacks.
Farmers in Punjab launched massive protests, including ‘Rail Roko’ agitation against the state government, while the ruling party Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) continued to present itself as a champion of the farmers’ cause.
With the so-called ‘pesticide scam’ being blamed for the widespread cotton damage, a top officer in Punjab Agriculture department was arrested for his alleged involvement in the supply of “spurious” pesticides — becoming a major cause of embarrassment for the SAD-BJP regime.
The opposition Congress however claimed that the arrested director was only a “sacrificial goat”.
In the neighboring Haryana, opposition parties including Congress smelt a major ‘paddy procurement scam’ towards the end of this year and sought a high-level probe.
Untimely rains accompanied by hailstorm played havoc with wheat — a major Rabi crop — in February-March, raising fears of massive yield loss in both Punjab and Haryana.
With farmers facing heavy cross losses, Congress President Sonia Gandhi visited several areas including Rohtak, Jhajjar, Rewari and Karnal of Haryana in March and met wheat growers and pitched for adequate compensation from the BJP-led Haryana government in the state.
Both Punjab and Haryana reported massive damage to the wheat crop. The SAD-BJP government in Punjab sought a package of Rs 717 crore, while Haryana demanded relief of Rs 1,135 Crore from the Centre. (PTI)
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