DW BUREAU / Amritsar Former minister Bikram Singh Majithia today while demanding the sugarcane State Assured Price (SAP) be increased to Rs 380 per quintal and all pending dues of cane growers be released, also asked Pradesh Congress President Navjot Sidhu to ensure a fair SAP is given to sugarcane growers by his government as advocated by him. The senior SAD leader, who had come here to pay his obeisance at the Gurdwara Baba Bakala Sahib on the occasion of Rakhar Punia, said the new PCC President should tell farmers why he had not taken up the issue of meeting the demands of sugarcane growers with the government till now. "Navjot Sidhu had advocated giving msp for all the major crops of Punjab on the same pattern as msp is given to Himachal farmers for apple. This issue was raised in front of senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the Moga rally of the party". He said now that Navjot Sidhu was the PCC President and was even having a say in governance he should ensure msp and SAP are offered to farmers for all major crops. Bikram Majithia said the Congress government had only paid lip sympathy to the cause of diversification since the last four and half years. "Forget giving msp for oilseeds and lentils besides milk, vegetables and fruits, it has not even cared to increase the SAP for sugarcane for four years. This is why we have failed to come out of the wheat-paddy cycle". He asked Navjot Sidhu to explain what was hindering him from getting msp and SAP implemented on all the major crops of Punjab. "This is a State subject. Why don't you do it now instead of continuing to befool farmers with future promises?", he asked. Giving further details, Majithia said sugarcane growers had faced a loss of Rs 1,000 crore due to the government's failure to increase SAP price every year as done by Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. He said SAP on sugarcane in Haryana was Rs 358 per quintal which was Rs 35 to Rs 40 more compared to the price in Punjab. He said the loss suffered by Punjab farmers was much more if one took into account the high State VAT on petrol and diesel which had put a further burden of Rs 10,000 crore on them. The SAD leader said it was shocking that even though farmers of Doaba were holding a huge protest against the injustice being done to sugarcane growers, chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh and PCC President Navjot Sidhu were showing utmost callousness towards farmers. He said the measly Rs 15 per quintal increase in cane SAP was not acceptable to farmers. "We assure cane growers that in case the Congress government does not increase the SAP on sugarcane to Rs 380 per quintal, we will do so once the SAD-BSP alliance government is formed in the State". He also assured cane growers that the next SAD-BSP alliance government would offer matching or even higher rate for sugarcane vis a vis the neighbouring States. He also assured to create a mechanism to ensure timely payment of sugarcane dues to growers. Majithia said the SAD-BSP alliance was committed to correct the wrongs done unto farmers by the Congress government. "We are committed to giving a government job and Rs 10 lakh compensation to next of kin of all Kisan Andolan martyrs". (editor@dailyworld.in)