Chaudhry slams Charan over remarks on farmers, temples

Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry has launched a sharp attack on Multi-Ethnic Affairs Minister Charan Jeath Singh, accusing him of arrogance, insensitivity and failure to serve farmers and religious communities.

Chaudhry said two recent remarks by Singh — telling small cane farmers to “shape up or ship out” and advising temple authorities to spend money on “cameras, not grog” — had drawn widespread public criticism and were unbecoming of a minister.

“The statements are insensitive and smack of an unacceptable display of arrogance,” Chaudhry said.

“The minister is being paid by the taxpayer to serve the people, not to rebuke them so rudely.”

Chaudhry, who is also general secretary of the National Farmers Union, said cane farmers had made significant sacrifices for the country and were now struggling due to unresolved problems in the sugar industry.

“Much of their current plight has been caused by the minister’s own gross incompetence and failure to address chronic issues facing the sugar industry,” he said.

“It is the minister who should be ‘shipped out’ — and thankfully, that is what the Prime Minister has done.”

On compensation for standover cane, Singh had claimed Chaudhry did not write to him in his capacity as Sugar Minister.

Chaudhry said he deliberately wrote to the incoming Sugar Minister instead.

“Yes, I wrote to the incoming minister because I knew the incumbent would do nothing to compensate farmers for the standover cane, even though they were not to blame,” he said.

Chaudhry also criticised Singh’s handling of temple break-ins, describing it as a long-standing issue that had not been adequately addressed during his tenure as Minister for Multi-Ethnic Affairs.

“I have personally suggested that temple authorities invest in security cameras,” he said.

“But the minister was downright rude in the way he spoke about temple authorities. If he was genuinely concerned, he would have called a meeting of religious organisations and temple management to discuss solutions.”

“He did nothing,” Chaudhry said.