Chaudhry and Singh Trade Blows Over Police Post

Labour Leader and National Farmers Union General Secretary Mahendra Chaudhry has questioned why a Fiji Police mobile post is stationed outside the Waiqele cane farm of Minister Charan Jeath Singh, while the Minister insists the deployment is there to serve the wider farming community and not his property alone.

Chaudhry publicly questioned whether Singh was receiving special protection at taxpayers' expense while more than 3,000 other cane farmers in Labasa did not enjoy similar security.

He claimed the Police post had reportedly been operating for about a month with officers on duty around the clock and called on Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu to explain the purpose of the deployment, how much it was costing taxpayers and why similar protection was not being provided to other farmers.

Chaudhry also argued that if the Minister required security for his private property, he should hire a private security company rather than rely on Police resources.

Singh strongly rejected the allegations, saying the Police presence was not established solely to protect his farm.

He said the Police post was set up following requests from farmers in the Waiqele sector and that the Police caravan was positioned next to his farm on land owned by another farmer.

The Minister also launched a attack on Chaudhry, questioning how much cane he harvested annually to qualify as a cane growers' leader and urging him to step aside from the role.

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