‘Will urge AICC to raise paddy issue at national level’

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday said that he will urge the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in its meeting scheduled in national capital on Saturday to raise the paddy’s issue of state at national level.

He was talking to reporters at Swami Vivekananda Airport, Raipur before leaving for New Delhi to participate in the meeting of AICC.

Replying to repeated questions being hurdled by the BJP that did the state government ask the Union government before fixing price of paddy procurement at Rs 2,500 per quintal, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel put a counter question asking whether the erstwhile BJP government in 2013 took permission from the Centre for giving paddy bonus. 

“In 2013, when BJP government had distributed bonus did they take permission from central government? Now on what basis they are questioning us,” the Chief Minister said.

Taking a dig at the BJP’s protest over the delay in paddy procurement, he said why BJP MPs are not airing their views in Parliament instead of staging protest.

“Are the MPs being elected by the people only to take salaries and wages? If they will not raise the issue of farmers of Chhattisgarh, they who will?,” the CM asked.

He warned that if central government does not purchase rice from Chhattisgarh then the paddy will rot, which will amount to dishonouring farmers of the state.