Lambasting the Shiromani Akali Dal on the issue of FDI in retail, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Amarinder Singh on Sunday charged that the Akalis had disappointed farmers by backing out on the issue. Concluding his month-long Punjab Bachao Yatra at Dhrui in Sangrur district, Capt. Singh portrayed Akalis as anti-farmers who are not bothered about “farmer’s interest, but only about their vested interests”.
Trying to make FDI an election issue, Capt. Amarinder said that the foreign direct investment in retail will boost the agricultural economy in the state.
He said organised multi-brand retail stores are in the interest of producers as well as the retailers, consumers and will not be any threat to small retailers.
Talking about the benefits of FDI, Capt. Singh referred to the potato glut and the problem of the sale of basmati in Punjab.
He said if FDI is allowed then farmers have the option of selling directly to the retailers and it will reach the consumers at a cheaper rate. He pointed out that while potatoes sell on an average of `10 to `12 per kg in the market the farmers get less than `1 per kg and the entire profit is pocketed by the middlemen.
Assuring the potato-growers that the Congress government will ensure that their crops get properly marketed, he criticised the state government for not stepping in to help the potato-growers market their produce.
“It is only the lack of will on part of the government which prevents it from helping the potato-growers,” Capt. Singh said.
Referring to the scheme of providing bicycles to schoolgirls, Capt. Amarinder said that the state government owed `11 crores to 2 major cycle companies of Ludhiana from which they had bought 36,000 bicycles. The companies have been refused payment on the pretext that the government has no money to pay them. “These companies have been bullied into silence”, he said while condemning the government for cheating the companies.
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Cong tries to keep allies in good humour
Age Correspondent
New Delhi, Dec. 4
The Congress is trying to keep its allies in the UPA in good humour at a time when the government is pushing forward its “reform agenda” without bringing them on board.
This has become evident from the first political comment from the AICC on the FDI in retail controversy when the party general secretary Janardan Dwivedi who not only recognised the importance of the Trinamul Congress in the UPA but virtually disapproved the hurry shown by the government on this controversial issue.
“Mamataji is our valuable ally,” Mr Dwivedi said in reply to questions about the West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s revelation that finance minister Pranab Mukherjee told the CM that the retail issue is being suspended until consensus is evolved. Mr Dwivedi said a broad consensus is required amongst different stakeholders. But the pro-reform lobby seems to have pushed the issue without undertaking this exercise.