PPP/C General Secretary, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo said on Thursday that US sanctioned businessman, Azruddin Mohamed has to be “utterly delusional and deranged” to think that rice farmers would not be able to see right through his golden veil of political opportunism.
During a press engagement on Thursday, Jagdeo noted that he is fully aware of all that was said when Mohamed visited a few farmers in Mahaica over the weekend. Those stakeholders complained about the low paddy prices and ongoing drainage issues. Jagdeo said he is also aware that Mohamed made disparaging remarks about the Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, suggesting that he is corrupt and makes unrealistic pledges to the farmers.
The General Secretary was keen to note that “Mustapha has been working his ass off to help the farmers for many, many years,” adding, “And where was this guy? For years, Mustapha was going down on the ground, meeting with the farmers, trying to get the higher prices for the rice farmers.”
Jagdeo proudly noted that Mustapha is one of the party’s stalwarts; a seasoned politician who can actually speak about the government’s policies, connect with communities countrywide, and deliver himself coherently, unlike Mohamed.
As a result of the diligent efforts by President Dr. Irfaan Ali, Minister Mustapha, and his team at the ministry, Jagdeo noted that farmers will now get no less than $4000 per bag of paddy. He also noted that yields are much higher, totalling over 9 million bags of paddy for 2024.
The General Secretary then rubbished claims by Mohamed that these achievements only came to the fore following his meeting over the weekend with a group of farmers. He said, “I saw him claiming today that the government acted only because of him. Now, you got to be delusional and deranged to think that’s the case. You have to be utterly delusional and deranged. But again, it fits in with the opportunism that we have seen in the past.”
The official said he is not the least bit worried about Mohamed’s engagements, be it past or current, but he will not tolerate disparaging remarks against Mustapha and the hard work he does. He is also confident that the rice farmers know who really has their interest at heart, and 100 percent of the time.
