JJP MLA Ram Karan Kala decides to quit as Haryana Sugarfed chairman after police action against farmers

Kurukshetra: Jannayak Janata Party MLA Ram Karan Kala on Thursday said that he was resigning from the post of Haryana Sugarfed chairperson protesting the lathicharge on farmers who blocked a highway a couple of days ago demanding MSP for sunflower seeds.

Kala, whose party is a partner of the BJP-led ruling alliance in Haryana, said that he has had a long association with the farmers of his Shahabad assembly segment and the police action was like an attack on him.

Farmers led by Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni had on Tuesday blocked the national highway near Shahabad for over six hours demanding that the government procure sunflower seeds at minimum support price (MSP). Police used water cannons and resorted to lathicharge to disperse the protesters.

Later, nine BKU (Charuni) leaders, including its president Gurnam Singh Charuni, were arrested over various charges, including rioting and unlawful assembly.

Addressing a press conference in Shahabad on Thursday, Kala said that he was quitting from the post of chairman of Haryana State Federation of Cooperative Sugar Mills Ltd (Sugarfed) as his "association with the farmers is of prime importance than sticking to the chairmanship of some federation".

He also demanded that all arrested farmers be released immediately.

The JJP legislator said that he met Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar thrice urging him to resolve the pending issues of the farmers, including the purchase of sunflower seeds, at MSP amicably.

"But he always maintained that a committee has been formed to resolve the issue," Kala said, adding that he would have persuaded the protesting farmers to lift the road blockade "but the chief minister preferred police action to deal with the situation".

He said that if the chief minister was "not interested" in listening to the local MLA there was no justification for him to remain as chairman of Sugarfed.

What is wrong if farmers ask for procurement of sunflower seeds at MSP? It used to be procured by the government agencies during the Congress rule as well as under the present dispensation till last year, Kala said.

He said that he would hand over his letter of resignation as Sugarfed chairman to JJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala to be forwarded to the chief minister.

Farmers have claimed the Haryana government was not buying sunflower seeds at the MSP. They said they had given the government time till Monday to accept their demand but it did not pay heed. The protesters claimed they were forced to sell their produce to private buyers at around Rs 4,000 per quintal as against the MSP of Rs 6,400 per quintal.

They also said they are against the government's move to include sunflower seeds under the Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana. Under this scheme, the government will pay a fixed compensation of Rs 1,000 per quintal for produce sold below the MSP, they said.