3 weeks ago
BJP leader Bragta accuses Himachal government of harassing apple growers
Apple farmers in Himachal Pradesh are not happy with their state government.
A leader named Chetan Bragta, who is also an apple farmer, says the government is bothering growers by sending them notices.
Farmers who sold more than 100 bags of apples to government buying agencies last year are being asked to show papers like Aadhaar cards, land records and bank statements.
Bragta says this is unfair and makes farmers look like criminals.
He points out that about 45,000 farmers sold apples to the buying agencies in 2025 and nobody checked them then.
He also claims rich and influential growers have not received these notices.
Bragta went to the Governor, Kavinder Gupta, with a letter about these problems.
He wants an honest investigation into the whole apple-buying process, including what happened to rotten apples that were bought.
Bragta warns that if the problems are not fixed, farmers may protest in the streets.
He also says the government broke an election promise that farmers would get to help decide the price of their apples.
Senior BJP leader Chetan Bragta accused the Himachal Pradesh government of harassing apple growers by issuing them notices, 'as if they were criminals'.
Notices were sent to growers who sold more than 100 bags of apples to procurement agencies in 2025, demanding Aadhaar cards, jamabandi, tatima and bank statements for verification.
Bragta said about 45,000 growers sold produce to procurement agencies in 2025, including 7,000 who sold more than 100 bags, and questioned why verification was not done then.
He claimed influential growers were not issued notices and demanded an impartial probe into the procurement chain, including the role of HPMC, the main procurement agency.
Bragta submitted a memorandum to Governor Kavinder Gupta and warned growers would take to the streets if their concerns are not addressed, also accusing Congress of reneging on its 2022 promise on pricing.
- Who
- Chetan Bragta, a senior BJP leader and progressive apple grower, who submitted a memorandum to Governor Kavinder Gupta on behalf of apple growers in Himachal Pradesh.
- What
- Accused the Himachal Pradesh government of harassing apple growers with verification notices demanding documents such as Aadhaar cards, jamabandi and bank statements.
- Where
- Himachal Pradesh, India; the memorandum was submitted in Shimla.
- When
- Tuesday, August 11 (the article is dated August 11); the notices relate to apple sales made to procurement agencies in 2025.
- Why
- Bragta says growers already face low production, climate change, adverse weather and rising input costs, and claims the notices treat them 'as if they were criminals' while the main procurement agency HPMC is not investigated; he also alleges the Congress government went back on its 2022 promise on pricing.
BJP and apple growers
State government
Verification notices to growers
BJP and apple growers
The notices demanding Aadhaar cards, jamabandi, tatima and bank statements from growers who sold more than 100 bags amount to harassment, 'as if they were criminals', especially since about 45,000 growers sold produce in 2025 without checks and influential growers were spared.
State government
The government's action appears to target larger sellers because it suspects irregularities in apple procurement - a rationale Bragta himself raises when asking why the verification process was not carried out earlier.
Where the probe should point
BJP and apple growers
An impartial investigation should examine the entire procurement chain, including the role of HPMC, the main procurement agency, and the destruction of rotten apples bought under the market intervention scheme.
State government
The government's approach has focused on individual growers who sold more than 100 bags rather than on the procurement agencies themselves.
Key facts
- Accuser
- Chetan Bragta, senior BJP leader and progressive apple grower
- Government criticised
- Himachal Pradesh state government (Congress, which promised apple pricing powers in the 2022 polls)
- Reason for notices
- Growers who sold more than 100 bags of apples to procurement agencies in 2025
- Documents demanded
- Aadhaar cards, jamabandi, tatima and bank statements
- Growers involved
- About 45,000 sold produce in 2025; 7,000 sold more than 100 bags
- Memorandum submitted to
- Governor Kavinder Gupta
- Demand
- Impartial probe into the procurement chain, including HPMC and rotten apples purchased under the market intervention scheme
- Growers' existing problems
- Low production, climate change, adverse weather and rising input costs
Quotes
Chetan Bragta
Senior BJP leader and apple grower
“"as if they were criminals"”
theprint.in
Sources
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