Patiala, Sept 29: Punjab finance minister Lal Singh today blamed Akali Dal chief and former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal for growing discontentment and frustration among farmers saying that they had been compelled to burn paddy in certain parts of the state.
Singh said that Badal was sabotaging Punjab government's initiative for the early announcement of Minimum Support Price, bonus and procurement operations by the government agencies from the day since the arrival of paddy in grain markets. Badal was capitalising on plight of farmers as he had been completely dejected since the ouster of the SAD-BJP combine government, Singh said in a statement here.

"Badal was now resorting to cheap `political gimmicks' by shifting the blame on the Punjab government for the ongoing paddy crops whereas he was squarely responsible for creating this mess owing to his political and narrow vested interests," the minister said.

Bureau Report