A day after Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh took exception to the recent statements of two of Navjot Singh Sidhu’s advisors on sensitive national issues like Kashmir and Pakistan, the Punjab Congress chief on Monday questioned the state government over the low assured price for sugarcane in Punjab as compared to Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

“The sugarcane farmers issue needs to be immediately resolved amicably …. Strange that despite the higher cost of cultivation in Punjab the state assured price is too low as compared to Haryana / UP / Uttarakhand. As torchbearer of agriculture, the Punjab SAP should be better !,” Sidhu said in a tweet  which came two days after the CM advised all Congress ministers and leaders to check facts before issuing statements.

It came a day after Amarinder asked Sidhu to “rein in his advisors before they end up doing more damage to India’s interests”. Sidhu’s advisor Dr Pyare Lal Garg had questioned Amarinder’s criticism of Pakistan saying  it was not in the interest of Punjab.

Another advisor Malwinder Singh Mali on his Facebook account, wrote, “Kashmir is a country of Kashmiris, in accord with the agreement when it left India in 1947 and in violation of the UNO decision, Kashmir was cut into two pieces, which has been occupied by Pakistan and India.”

Meanwhile, sugarcane farmers in Punjab are continuing protests in the state following the deadlock over a hike in sugarcane prices. The talks between the farmers and the state government have remained inconclusive so far. The government will hold another meeting at Jalandhar on Monday to discuss the production cost of sugarcane during which farmers leaders, government officials, and agricultural experts from Punjab Agriculture University (PAU), Ludhiana, will be present

The farmers had on Friday had launched an agitation demanding that the Punjab government raise the state assured price (SAP) of sugarcane to bring it at par with Haryana where it is Rs 358 per quintal. They have already rejected the hike of Rs 15 per quintal announced by the Punjab government on Thursday. The state government had revised sugarcane rates to Rs 325 for the early variety, Rs 315 for mid-variety, and Rs 310 per quintal for the late-maturing variety, which the farmers had termed as too little.

The farmers have blocked rail tracks and a national highway in Jalandhar, leading to major disruptions in rail and road traffic and harassment for commuters. While some trains were diverted today, 83 trains were affected by the protest on Sunday.

A fresh round of talks is scheduled to be held on Monday at Jalandhar to decide on the production price of sugarcane, as there was a difference between the production cost estimates as presented by the government and as claimed by farmers’ unions. On Saturday as many as 89 trains had been cancelled and 54 others diverted or short-terminated due to the protests.