ROHTAK: Former Haryana chief minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Wednesday strongly condemned the reported lathicharge on farmers in Kurukshetra, alleging that the BJP government in the state was not working in the interests of farmers and was instead “harassing” them.Hooda said farmers were facing difficulties in selling their produce as procurement at government mandis was yet to pick up, while private buyers were purchasing the crop at significantly lower rates.“The government claims that bajra will be procured at Rs 2,900 per quintal, but procurement has not started properly. In the private market, farmers are being forced to sell it for around Rs 1,800 to Rs 1,900 per quintal,” Hooda said.He alleged that farmers were also facing difficulties in the procurement of paddy and were being forced to wait at grain markets with their produce.“Farmers are sitting distressed in the mandis because their crops are not being procured on time,” Hooda said, adding that the government needed to ensure timely procurement and payment to farmers.Strongly condemning the alleged lathicharge in Kurukshetra, Hooda said the use of force against farmers was unacceptable and accused the state government of failing to address their genuine concerns.He also alleged that farmers were not receiving essential agricultural inputs such as urea and DAP fertilisers on time, forcing them to make repeated rounds of supply centres.“This government is not farmer-friendly. Farmers are being troubled at every step. They do not get urea and DAP on time, procurement of crops is not taking place properly and they are being forced to sell their produce at lower prices in the private market,” Hooda alleged.Hooda said the government should immediately ensure uninterrupted procurement of farmers’ produce at the announced rates and make adequate supplies of fertilisers available ahead of the sowing season.His remarks came amid his ongoing public outreach in Garhi Sampla-Kiloi, where he has been meeting villagers and raising issues concerning farmers, the electoral process and the functioning of the state government.Earlier, Hooda had announced that the Haryana Congress would stage a protest outside the State Election Commission office in Chandigarh, alleging irregularities in the electoral process.Meanwhile, Rohtak Zila Parishad chairperson and BJP candidate from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi in the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections, Manju Hooda, had criticised Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s week-long public outreach in the constituency, claiming that it reflected his “weakening political hold” in the area.Manju Hooda alleged that the Congress’s support base in the constituency was declining and that the former chief minister was therefore having to reach out to voters village by village.
