‘My speech often leads to controversies’
Excelsior Correspondent
KATRA, Feb 10: Governor, Satya Pal Malik while paying rich tributes to Rahbre Azam Deen Bandhu Ch. Chotu Ram on his 138th birth anniversary said the late Kissan leader was a great revolutionary and a man of character who never made any compromise on the rights of farmers of the country.
Addressing a function jointly organized by Chhotu Ram Sabha Jammu and Jat Sabha Chandigarh Panchkula led by Dr M S Malik former DGP, Governor said that attending the function of Ch Chhotu Ram is not less than a pilgrimage to a religious place like Haridwar as he was a man of principles and revolutionary leader who up to his last breath fought for the welfare and rights of Kissans of the country.
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Governor said it was this visionary leader who relieved the farmers of country from debt trap. Governor said that his speech leads to controversies but he never minds for that and speaks whatever he thinks is true and right. Recently during PM’s visit to the State, he got instructions from PMO to send the text of his speech to PMO in advance which he is going to make while addressing public meetings along PM in the State. “I submitted the speech to PMO but could not hesitate while making some additions in my speech like demanding construction of an airstrip at Kargil as people of the area face many problems in traveling the other parts of the country and State in winter due to road blockade, he added.
Governor said that the struggle for the rights of Kissans is there where it was left by Ch Chhotu Ram and a farmer still is not in a position to decide the rate of his produce. Satya Pal Malik, while complimenting Prime Minister, Narendra Modi for implementation of Swaminathan Commission report said it will still be useless as the middlemen system has not been abolished who fleece the farmers and farmer is not given the rate of his produce within one month of harvest when he needs it most. After that he falls in the trap of middle men who take the maximum advantage while the farmer gets nothing, Governor added.
Fully justifying the cause of farmers, Governor said the injustice with farmers should end once for all and they should not be forced to distress sale. He said that nation can never be prosperous if its farming community lives in distress. He regretted that even today the farmer becomes poorer day by day. Substantiating this, he said cement purchased today for one quintal of wheat is half than what was purchased 10 years back for same quantity of wheat. Same is the case with diesel, he added.
He said if a farmer comes to know of this he will commit suicide. Stressing on imparting good education to children, Governor stressed on setting up of quality education institutions and asked the philanthropist organizations to play their vital role in this regard. He said 12 Indians have so far got Nobel Prize and out of them seven were either settled outside or were outsiders while only five were from India.
He said if you want to empower the people establish quality education institutions as nothing empowers people more than education which he termed a greatest wealth with any community and country. Governor said a capitalist spent Rs 700 crore on marriage of his daughter as per records while he spent Rs 2000 crore unofficially. Had he contributed same amount for J&K’s development the State could have produced many Nobel laureates, he added.
Speaking on the occasion Union Minister, Ch Virender Singh who was the chief guest in the function announced Rs five lakh from his MP LAD Fund for construction of Deen Bandhu Community Hall at Katra and Rs one lakh from his own savings.
He said if the country had produced any messiah for farming community in last 100 years that was Ch. Chhotu Ram and there are no two thoughts in it. He said people accord status of a Devta to such personalities. He said Ch Chhotu Ram played same role for welfare of farmers of the country as Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar played for Dalits.
He said as Dalits consider Dr Ambdedkar as an inspiring force likewise farmers of the country consider Ch Chhotu Ram as an inspiring force for them. He said the late Kissan leader was so concerned for the welfare and rights of farmers, peasants and land tillers that when the then British Viceroy asked him that they want to purchase wheat from farmers as the same is needed badly at the rate of Rs six per 40 kgs, he resisted and said that rate will be decided by him and no farmer will sell the wheat on this rate instead they be given Rs 10 for 40 kgs of wheat.
When the Viceroy warned him that they will send force to collect wheat from farmers, Ch Chhotu Ram resisted saying that he will not allow them to sell wheat but instead ask them to set ablaze the wheat in fields than selling it on cheap rates. This revealed the revolutionary mindset of this great leader, he added.
He said Ch Chhotu Ram told Viceroy that he demanded minimum support price for farmers who work in harsh weather conditions to produce crop for himself and other countrymen.
Earlier welcome address was read by the president cum chairman of Jat Sabha Chandigarh, Panchkula, Dr M S Malik who termed the Ch Chhotu Ram a messiah of farmers. He said a community hall of 300 rooms at the cost of Rs 120 crore is being constructed on his name at Katra Vaishno Devi. Prof Harbans Singh Sambyal also spoke on the occasion. The function was attended by former Ministers, Ch Sukhnandan, Ajay Nanda, Garu Ram, MLCs Vikram Randhawa and Surinder Choudhary besides a large number of people from Haryana and J&K.
A cultural programme was also organized by the students of different schools in memory of Ch. Chhotu Ram on the occasion and the people who have excelled in various fields were honoured on the occasion. Later Ch Virender Singh and Union Minister of State, Dr Jitendra Singh laid foundation of community hall and also unveiled the portrait of Ch Chhotu Ram at Katra.
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