Chandigarh: Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Wednesday demanded that the state government fix the minimum support price of sugarcane at Rs. 500 per quintal. He also called for the immediate start of paddy procurement, reports The Times of India.
Speaking to the media at his camp office, Hooda announced that he would donate his one-month MLA salary to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund and urged other legislators to contribute as well.
Highlighting the damage caused by recent floods, Hooda said nearly 30 lakh acres of farmland had been affected, causing losses to over five lakh farmers. He estimated that farmers lost around Rs. 1 lakh per acre and urged the government to provide timely and adequate compensation. He also asked that the market fee charged from farmers be reduced by at least 1%.
The Congress leader criticised the Nayab Saini-led BJP government for failing to provide relief to flood-hit families even after a month. “The floods have exposed poor arrangements and corruption in the government,” he said, adding that families he met in affected areas were still waiting for assistance.
Hooda further alleged irregularities in the Amrit Scheme and sewerage works in cities, which, he said, left towns waterlogged after the first rainfall. He claimed canals and drains in villages were not cleaned, embankments were not repaired, and scams were carried out in the name of pipeline laying, which proved ineffective during the floods.
On political rivals, Hooda said both the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) were “proxies” of the BJP. He recalled that in the last election the BJP contested with JJP support, and this time it had aligned with the INLD. In Sirsa, he pointed out, the BJP withdrew its candidate in favour of INLD’s Gopal Kanda, confirming the alliance.
