Chandigarh, Dec 28 (PTI) Congress members staged a walkout from the Haryana Assembly on Wednesday over the issue of non-increase in sugarcane prices even as Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar formed a price fixation panel.

On the concluding day of the three-day winter session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha here, Khattar and leader of opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda also exchanged some poetry, questioning policies of each other's tenure.

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Targeting the BJP-JJP government first, Hooda read out a poem to which Khattar responded also through a poem.

Both the leaders again exchanged some more poetry, drawing applause from the members of tge treasury and opposition benches.

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Hooda asked the CM to increase sugarcane prices, saying farmers are facing losses due to rise in input cost.

The former chief minister said farmers are demanding that the rate of sugarcane should be Rs 450 per quintal.

He asked the CM to bring the cane rate at par with that of Punjab.

"Make it equal to the rate of cane in Punjab," Hooda asked Khattar.

"Make an announcement of an increase in cane price today. It is a serious issue," Hooda asked the CM.

The CM apprised the House that there are nine cooperatives and three private sugar mills operational in the state.

The government gives assistance to the cooperative mills so that the payment of sugarcane can be made on time. There are no dues pending of any co-operative sugar mill in Haryana, informed Khattar.

He made an announcement regarding formation of the committee to fix the price of sugarcane for this crushing season, which will assess the performance of sugar mills and submit its report in 15 days.

After this, the prices of sugarcane will be announced, said Khattar, noting that the price of cane in Haryana has always been higher as compared to other states.

The Congress MLAs staged a walkout in protest as no announcement were made on sugarcane rate increase.

At present, the cane price in Haryana stands at Rs 362 per quintal.

In a statement later, the Haryana Congress said till 2005, the rate of sugarcane in the state was Rs 117 per quintal and it was increased by Rs 193 to Rs 310 during the Congress tenure.

"The rate of sugarcane was increased almost three times, 165 per cent during the Congress government and this amounts to an annual increase of about 18.3 per cent," said Hooda in a party statement.

"The BJP and BJP-JJP government increased the rate of sugarcane by only 17 per cent in 8 years, an annual increase of just 2.1 per cent. The BJP-JJP government is not anywhere close to the rate hike given during the Congress government," he claimed.

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