Chandigarh: Inderbir Singh Nijjar, Minister for Soil and Water Conservation sparked a major controversial on Wednesday and dubbed Punjabis as a “Bewakoof com” (Stupid community) over crop diversification.
Talking to media persons in Amritsar, he said that the farmers of Punjab have become comfortable and they do not opt for anything except wheat and paddy cultivation.
The AAP minister said that a few years back, farmers were mostly dependent on canal water for farming but now neither they demand water through canals nor do the canal department releases it. There is a dire need to save ground water as the Punjab is becoming a desert. However, Punjabis are the most stupid community that they don’t opt for crop diversification to save water for future generations.
Following this, Congress leader and MLA from Bholath Sukhpal Singh Khaira sought an apology from the minister and wrote in a tweet, “I demand a public apology from Inderbir Nijjer Minister for humiliating Punjabi’s & farmers by calling them“Bewakoof”bcoz they sow wheat-paddy crops not realizing farmers r forced to sow these crops as govts like @BhagwantMann have failed to provide guaranteed Msp on other crops.”