Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao distributes Samman Rashi of Rs 3 lac & Rs 10 lac to the families of farmers and Galwan martyrs respectively, in presence of Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann & Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal
Previous governments may have pushed Punjab’s agriculture towards the brink of a disaster but our government is committed to bring reforms: CM Bhagwant Mann
Initiatives like MSP on Moong & Direct Seeding of Paddy helping uplift Punjab’s agrarian economy: CM Bhagwant Mann
Confident that CM Bhagwant Mann’s visionary leadership will help develop an advanced model of agriculture in Punjab: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal
The Kisan Andolan wasn’t just for Punjab & Haryana but for the entire Indian society: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal
Punjab’s blessed lands have shaped the history of Indian society: Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao
Entire country stands in solidarity with the martyrs of Galwan & Kisan Andolan: Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao
NEW DELHI / CHANDIGARH:
Punjab CM Sardar Bhagwant Mann, Delhi CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal, Telangana CM Shri K Chandrashekar Rao paid tributes to the martyrs of Galwan Valley & Kisan Andolan in a ceremony organised in Chandigarh today. On this occasion, Telangana CM Shri K Chandrashekar Rao also distributed Samman Rashi cheques to the families of the martyrs in presence of Punjab CM Sardar Bhagwant Mann & Delhi CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal. Talking about Punjab’s agriculture sector, Chief Minister Sardar Bhagwant Mann stated, “Previous governments may have pushed Punjab’s agriculture towards the brink of a disaster but our government is committed to bring reforms. Initiatives like MSP on Moong & Direct Seeding of Paddy helping uplift Punjab’s agrarian economy.” Delhi CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal asserted, “I am confident that CM Bhagwant Mann’s visionary leadership will help develop an advanced model of agriculture in Punjab. The Kisan Andolan wasn’t just for Punjab & Haryana but for the entire Indian society.” At the same time, Telangana CM Shri K Chandrashekar Rao said, “Punjab’s blessed lands have shaped the history of Indian society. The entire country stands in solidarity with the martyrs of Galwan & Kisan Andolan.”
Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Bhagwant Mann, Delhi Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal, and Telangana Chief Minister Shri K. Chandrashekar Rao paid homage to the martyrs of Galwan Valley and the farmers who sacrificed their lives during the Kisan Andolan during a tribute meeting organised at Tagore Theatre in Chandigarh today. In the presence of Shri Arvind Kejriwal and Sardar Bhagwant Mann, Shri K. Chandrashekhar Rao presented Samman Rashi cheques to the kin of the martyrs of Galwan Valley and the farmers who gave their lives while protesting against the draconian farm laws. Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait, Telangana Minister Prashant Reddy, MP Nama Nageswara Rao, MP Venkatesh Netha and Telangana Chief Secretary Sumesh Kumar, Punjab Chief Secretary Anirudh Tiwari and kin of martyrs were present on the occasion among other dignitaries.
Taking a dig at the apathetic attitude of previous governments those blatantly ignored the farming sector for their myopic outlook, CM Sardar Bhagwant Mann said, “it is really ironical that a farmer who owns the most fertile land with the highest yield as compared to any other part of the country and even across the globe was living in penury and struggling to get two square meals a day. On the contrary, his peers on foreign shores owning land with the least fertility due to harsh climatic conditions are leading an affluent life. Why could the previous governments not implement farmer friendly initiatives for the welfare and prosperity of farmers who were virtually pushed in debt trap due to meagre income from farming coupled with low yield and high prices of inputs thus making this occupation absolutely non-profitable.”
Sardar Bhagwant Mann said his government has taken several path-breaking initiatives like motivating farmers to sow Moong with assurance to procure on MSP, a financial incentive of Rs. 1500 per acre for promotion of Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) technology besides taking up crop diversification in a big way within just two months of taking office. He bemoaned that the previous governments made the farmers from ‘annadata’ to ‘beggars’ and his government would make all out efforts to restore their earlier status as ‘annadatas’. He said, “The top priority of my government is to make farmers free from debt.”
Paying tributes to the farmers who lost their lives at the Delhi borders during farmers’ agitation against draconian farm laws, CM Bhagwant Mann said, “We can’t bring back your beloved ones and monetary assistance won’t compensate for this enormous loss but we want to bring you strength.” Remembering all those brave soldiers from Punjab, who laid down their lives while defending the country’s sovereignty and integrity, CM Bhagwant Mann said, “their unparalleled sacrifices cannot be ignored as they defend the borders in harsh weather conditions like combating intense heat wave of 50 degree Celsius in Jaisalmer and -20 to 25 degree temperature during spine chilling cold wave in Kargil, when we are comfortably asleep at our homes.”
While talking about the aid, Delhi Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal said, “While we are here to distribute financial aid honouring the sacrifice of your loved ones today, we cannot put a price on the precious lives you have lost. Hence, our sole aim behind distributing this Samman Rashi, is to relay the message of support – that the entire nation is with you. We are immensely proud to be born on the same land as all those bravehearts who sacrificed their lives in the Galwan Valley conflict, and the farmers who struggled for an entire year and laid their lives on the line to protect their entire community. The Farmers Movement did not solely belong to the farmers of Punjab or Haryana, but represented the farming community from all over India. Keeping this sentiment in mind, today the Chief Minister of Telangana has joined us today to hand out the Samman Rashi to all families, and for that we are extremely grateful to him. The Punjab Government had already provided some financial assistance as ‘Samman Rashi’ earlier; today an entire team for Telangana has come here, showing how the entire nation stands with you all, that this was not a movement limited to a state or a section of society.”
Detailing the struggle of the farmer’s agitation, Delhi CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal added, “The entire Kisan Andolan unfolded at the Delhi border, and being the Chief Minister I took it upon myself to do whatever I could in order to help further the movement achieve its goal. I remember the very first day that the farmers began to march towards Delhi from their homes in Punjab and Haryana, we had received a file from the Centre which proposed that we transform all of Delhi’s stadiums into prison for detaining these farmers upon their arrival. I am a man born out of a grassroots movement, and back during the Anna Andolan we faced a similar form of resistance from the government. Everyone who would gather at Ramlila Maidan and Jantar Mantar in those days would be arrested in such large numbers that the existing jails would fall short of space, after which the police would keep us detained in stadiums. I myself have spent days in stadiums this way. Hence I knew this file from the Centre was their first step to curb and eventually end the Farmers Movement, and their dissent against the laws made by the Central Government. Had I given in on the first day, and had the farmers been detained in Delhi’s stadiums, the entire movement would’ve started and ended in the walls of a stadium itself.”
Shri Kejriwal continued, “We were fortunate enough to have the power to turn down Centre’s proposal because we had the purview over these stadiums. Despite being relentlessly pressured by the Central Government, we refused to budge from our stand and did not transform our stadiums into jails. We earned a great deal of criticism from the Centre as well as various authorities and governments for this, but we maintained our support for the farmers. Following this, the Delhi Government began arranging food, water, toilets and other basic necessary amenities for the farmers protesting at the border. Through these minor measures, it made me feel satisfied to have contributed and helped take care of our struggling farmers. Even today, now that the Aam Aadmi Party has formed the government in Punjab, one of our top priorities has been to work on ways to increase the income of farmers. We have arrived at the conclusion that until and unless their income is increased, the plight of farmers in India will not improve – they will continue to live in distress, and many will feel compelled to take their own lives out of the surmounting burdens of debt.”
Talking about the new Punjab Government, the Delhi CM added, “It makes me immensely happy that the current CM of Punjab, Sardar Bhagwant Mann, hails from a farming background. Hence, in the past few days he has taken some monumental steps to relieve the farmers of their troubles – First, until the next crop is planted, farmers can cultivate the moong crop on which the Punjab Government will provide an MSP. Only a person connected with the ground reality of the farmers could have taken such a decision in their interests. Second, it was decided that all those farmers which opt for direct seeding will receive a financial assistance of Rs 1,500 per acre. In the coming days, many such decisions will be taken and announcements will be made in the interests of the farming community, for their upliftment and in order to solve their troubles. In Delhi, all the efforts we made have borne great results for us – our government schools and their transformation is praised all over the world today. Delhi’s hospitals and Mohalla Clinics are also discussed and lauded, along with the work in the electricity sector. All these steps will be taken in Punjab as well – we will fix the schools and hospitals here as well, open up Mohalla Clinics here, provide free electricity – we will do it all. But one of the most important issues in Punjab is that of farming, and the way we have developed education and healthcare models in Delhi, it is our aim to develop an efficient farming model for your state along with your help. We will then present it not in front of the nation, but the entire world.”
Shri Kejriwal concluded, “Today, a lawyer’s kid aims to become a lawyer; actor’s children wish to follow in the footsteps of their parents; doctor’s kids want to go into medicine; but it is unfortunate that a farmer’s child does not want to grow up to be a farmer. This is because farming is no longer a profitable and sustainable career option. However, I strongly believe that we will develop such a phenomenal model for the farming community here that every farmer’s child will tell his father that he wishes to be a farmer when he grows up. I am sure that with the support of the 3.5 crore people of Punjab, we will successfully develop and implement such a model. At last, I hope and pray for peace for the souls of all our martyrs, and for strength to their families to bear with the loss of their loved ones.”
Telangana CM Shri K Chandrashekar Rao commented upon the state of affairs in the country at large and said, “It is a matter of great sadness that even after 75 years of independence we are compelled to organise such gatherings. It brings tears to my eyes to even think why our country remains like this. Why does the public have to struggle so much today? We all must collectively think about where we are heading. Why do our people have to lay their lives on the line to achieve something for society? I understand that all countries have flaws and problems but the quantum of our problems is much different than the others. It is commendable how the Kisan Andolan panned out and forced the Centre to roll back the draconian farm laws. I bow down in front of all the farmers who made this movement possible and proved that there still is hope in the country. We can’t bring back all those who we’ve lost in the movement but we can stand in solidarity with their families. Not just us, but the whole country stands in solidarity with the families of these brave martyrs.”
Appreciating the people of Punjab, he added, “Punjab is a legendary state. It is the land of bravehearts, the homeland of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh. Punjab has made two huge contributions to Indian history. First, the sacrifices this land made during the independence struggle. Second, the way these lands came to the rescue during the crisis and birthed the green revolution to feed the country. This country will never be able to thank Punjab enough for shaping how our present looks like today. From the bottom of my heart, I pray to God to bring peace to the soul who sacrificed their lives for the movement. I pray that the lord grants their families strength to bear with the loss they have suffered.”