CHANDIGARH:The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab has categorically rejected the Modi government's decision to increase the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for wheat by Rs 50 per quintal. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is also viewing the announcement of increase in MSP amidst farmers' anger against anti-farming black laws as a hoax. Besides, the party has questioned the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) ban on the cash credit limit (CCL) issued by the Center to the state government every half year for procurement of crops.
AAP has leveled serious allegations of scam entailing thousands of crores of rupees in the name of CCL and demanded the release of a white paper on CCL for the last 20 years.
In a joint statement issued from the party headquarters, Leader of the Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema and MLA Kultar Singh Sandhwan termed the slight increase in MSP of other rabi crops including wheat as a cruel joke with the country's benefactor.
Harpal Singh Cheema said that the announcement of Rs 50 per quintal increase in the face of skyrocketing inflation was like sprinkling salt on the wounds.
Cheema questioned the timing of the announcement of the hike, saying the Modi government was making a childish attempt to convince the country's angry farmers against black laws and create confusion about MSPs, but the country's farmers were well aware of such deceptions.
Harpal Singh Cheema said that on the one hand the government was discrediting the MSP by imposing black laws and on the other hand it was pretending to announce a new MSP.
Cheema said that unless the government guarantees the procurement of MSP declared crops, MSP would be meaningless.
At the same time Kultar Singh Sandhwan, taking serious note of the RBI's order to stop CCL, said that there was no doubt that during the Congress and SAD-BJP governments, several thousand billion rupees had been squandered in CCL funds for which the Central and Punjab Government should issue their respective white papers on CCL funds and accounts from 1997 to date.
Sandhwan feared that more than Rs 50, 000 crore could be lost in the CCL scam if the figures are reconciled properly. Explaining the other side of the RBI's ban on CCL, Sandhwan said it was a step towards the implementation of anti-agriculture black laws in the markets.
Sandhwan said the announced MSP was meaningless if the Union government did not send the required amount of money (CCL) through the RBI for the procurement of the crop. Like 'No more bamboo, no more flute', if money (CCL) is not released then how will the government procurement of crops take place?