Badal appeals Kisan Unions to call off Rail Roko agitation

Chandigarh, Nov 13 (UNI) Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today appealed to the leaders of various Kisan Unions to call off their proposed Rail Roko agitation scheduled from tomorrow.

''Rail Roko agitation will hurt only innocent commuters who are in no way responsible for the anti-farmer policies of the Centre,'' Mr Badal said in a statement issued here.

He assured the farmers that he would lead a delegation of farmers' representatives to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh any time it was required.

''The SAD-BJP government has always firmly supported the cause of the farmers to safeguard their rights and the government fully understands the concern of the beleaguered farming community,'' he said.

The Government had always championed the cause of farmers on every issue including higher Minimum Support Price (MSP) for agricultural products, lower input cost, liberal subsidies to boost agricultural production, a massive package for farmers' families afflicted by poverty driven suicides, linkage of farm product prices with the overall price index and recently got declared 1121 variety of Paddy as Basmati from Centre, Mr Badal said.

Mr Badal said the he had urged the Prime Minister on several occasions to implement the recommendations of the internationally acclaimed farm scientist and economist Dr MS Swaminathan for fixing the prices of the agricultural products by giving 50 per cent profit over and above actual input cost incurred by the farmer.

UNI PS RR NS2006