Congress MLAs in Haryana will visit mandis across the state to assess problems being faced by farmers during wheat and mustard procurement and raise their concerns at appropriate forums. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) chaired by former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
The party alleged that the BJP government was indulging in irregularities in the name of crop procurement. Various state issues were discussed during the meeting, and it was decided that district-level Congress meetings would be organised across Haryana in May to strengthen organisational outreach.
Newly elected Rajya Sabha MP Karamvir Baudh thanked MLAs for their support. The Congress also resolved to submit a written complaint to the Election Commission alleging wrongful cancellation of votes cast by Congress legislators. The matter will also be challenged in High Court. State Congress chief Rao Narendra Singh said the party’s disciplinary committee would meet on April 3 regarding cross-voting issues.
Addressing the media after the meeting, Hooda accused the BJP government of creating hurdles for farmers through new procurement rules. He added
“This time, a new rule has been introduced for wheat procurement requiring not only the biometric verification of farmers but also the submission of photographs of their tractor license plates. To verify a farmer's identity, as many as three guarantors are now required. It is as if the mandi were not a grain market, but a high-security zone or a prison.”
“The rule mandating biometric verification and the issuance of gate passes right at the entry gate is practically impossible to implement. This is because farmers belong to a hardworking class, and as a result, the fingerprints of many farmers become worn down. Often, even at banks, their fingerprints fail to match or take a considerable amount of time to verify,” he stated.
“Under these circumstances, if this same procedure is carried out at the mandi gates, it will lead to long queues of tractors, causing traffic congestion. Most farmers arrive at the mandi using rented tractors. If the procurement process is delayed due to traffic jams or verification delays, who will bear the cost of the tractor rental? Evidently, this financial burden will fall upon the farmers, causing further economic loss to those who are already steeped in debt,” he added.
He further claimed procurement operations stalled on the very first day due to technical failures in the e-procurement portal, leaving farmers waiting for hours without gate passes or crop purchase. Arhati associations have also flagged delays, stating that issuing a single gate pass takes 10–15 minutes, raising fears of further disruption.
Highlighting poor mandi management, Hooda said basic facilities such as gunny bags, tarpaulins, labour arrangements and transport tenders were missing. He alleged that delayed procurement would affect farmers’ payments and push them into deeper financial distress.
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