Chandigarh February 27

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today ruled out the possibility of increase in sugarcane prices, saying that the current price of Rs 340 per quintal was the highest in the country.

Replying to the calling attention motion moved by several Congress MLAs in the Haryana Assembly, Khattar said that since sugar mills were running in loss, the government’s priority was timely payment to the farmer rather than increase in cane prices.

Amid interruptions by several Congress members, including Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Kiran Chaudhary, Khattar said hike in sugarcane prices was not possible till the sugar mills turned profitable for which the state government had initiated several measures.

Earlier, as Agriculture Minister JP Dalal rose to reply to the calling attention motion, Opposition Congress members were on their feet asserting that the minister was not speaking on increase in sugarcane prices, the issue for which the motion had been moved, but on doubling farmer income by 2022.

Dalal’s contention that doubling farmers’ income was also linked to increase in cane prices did not find favour with the Congress members, who did not let the minister speak on the issue. Speaker Gian Chand Gupta also tried to come to Dalal’s rescue, but to no avail as the Congress members created ruckus.

As Congress MLAs continued to disrupt the minister’s address, Home Minister Anil Vij questioned Hooda’s locus standi on speaking on the motion on which he was not even a signatory. However, Khattar’s intervention saved the day for Dalal.