Chandigarh, Nov 1 (PTI) The BJP targeted the AAP government on Tuesday over the rising incidents of stubble burning in Punjab, asking it to wake up from its “deep slumber” over the issue of farm fires.
The opposition party slammed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, pointing out that he used to target the earlier Punjab governments for failing to control farm fires and blame the state for pollution in New Delhi.
“Why is the Delhi CM staying mum now?” Punjab BJP general secretary Subhash Sharma asked.
He said the state witnessed 2,131 incidents of farm fire — the highest in the season so far — and a maximum of 330 cases were witnessed in Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s home district, Sangrur.
“The AAP government in Punjab is failing on all fronts. It doesn’t have anything to say except making false claims in advertisements,” Sharma told reporters in Chandigarh. “Now, the state government has badly failed on the stubble burning issue in the state.” Punjab witnessed 3,000 more farm fires this season so far in comparison to the corresponding period last year. The cumulative cases from September 15 till October 31 had reached 16,004, according to Sharma.
“We want the state government to wake up from its deep slumber and perform its responsibilities towards the environment and people of Punjab,” Sharma said.
Otherwise, he added, the situation would go from bad to worse in the coming days and it would be difficult for people to breathe because of the “incompetency” of the AAP government.
Sharma said the Union government provided Rs 1,147 crore to Punjab for crop residue machines for stubble management in the last three years, while neighbouring Haryana was given Rs 693 crore.
Despite getting lesser funds, Haryana performed better on the issue of stubble management and managed to reduce the number of farm fire incidents this season, Sharma said.
He added that the BJP-led Haryana government had announced recently that it was considering buying paddy straw at the minimum support price.
“The AAP government is in the habit of speaking lies. It doesn’t have any intention to deliver,” Sharma said.
Amid these incidents, he said the AAP government was busy in Gujarat — an apparent reference to Mann’s visits in the wake of upcoming assembly polls there.
Sharma claimed that the security deposits of all candidates of the AAP in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat assembly polls would be forfeited. PTI CHS VSD HMB
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