National/Punjab Desk
25 October
Sandeep Dhand Ludhiana
After a period of silence, former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has returned to the spotlight. Early this morning, he visited Asia’s largest grain market in Khanna to review the arrangements for paddy procurement. This marks his first major appearance since leaving the Congress Party and joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Captain Amarinder was accompanied by senior BJP leaders, including Fatehjung Singh Bajwa, Bibi Jayinder Kaur, former MLA Didar Singh Bhatti, and others. While inspecting the paddy stacks, he engaged with farmers, shellers, and labor groups, discussing their challenges in the market.
Captain Amarinder strongly criticized the Punjab government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, stating that the state’s paddy procurement and lifting process is poorly managed. He claimed that despite the Centre releasing Rs 44,000 crore for paddy purchases, Punjab has failed to make timely payments to farmers, highlighting inefficiencies in the process.
He added that the BJP-led central government is committed to supporting farmers and has resolved many of their pressing issues. The Captain assured that he would work with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address any remaining farmer concerns.