Chandigarh:
Alleging a scam in the supply of paddy seeds to farmers, the Shiromani Akali Dal on Thursday demanded an independent probe while terming the reported vigilance investigation as a cover-up exercise’.
The party submitted memorandums to deputy commissioners across Punjab in this regard.
In the memorandum, SAD leaders demanded that all those responsible for the supply and sale of spurious paddy seeds should be arrested and farmers be compensated.
The Shiromani Akali Dal had claimed that a close associate of cabinet minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa was allegedly involved in the supply of spurious seeds, which were not approved for sale by the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU).
However, Randhawa on Wednesday had denied the charge and had accused the Akalis of dragging his name into it, saying they were doing so to gain cheap political mileage .
The SAD on Thursday rejected the reported vigilance probe into the matter as a cover-up exercise .
SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia told media persons in Amritsar that the Vigilance Department was not expected to act against the state minister.
He alleged that the owner of the Gurdaspur-based unit, who had been accused of supplying spurious seeds , was a close associate of Randhawa.
In Mansa, party MP Balwinder Singh Bhundur said the perpetrators of the seed scam had played with the lives of farmers and if corrective action was not taken immediately, they will be pushed into the financial ruin’ and even forced to commit suicide.
Senior party leader Daljit Singh Cheema said only custodial interrogation of the seed supplier could unravel the entire scam and demanded an independent probe into it.
SAD leaders said even a fortnight after the scam came to light, no attempt has been made to raid the unit which allegedly supplied spurious seeds.
The leaders further said seeds, which earlier cost Rs 70 per kg, were sold at Rs 200 per kg to farmers by the scamsters .
A raid was conducted at a seed store in Ludhiana and more than 750 quintals of seed packaged as PR-129 and 100 quintals of seed packaged as PR-128 were seized, they said.
