Farmers Movement Archive

Govt to reintroduce agri Bills, says Capt Amarinder

In the upcoming Budget session, the Capt Amarinder Singh government will again bring the state amendment Bills to negate the Central farm laws as the Governor had failed to send the earlier Bills to the President.In a special session held in October, the government has passed the amendment Bills — Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Special Provisions and Punjab Amendment Bill, Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services (Special Provisions and Punjab Amendment Bill, and Essential Commodities (Special Provisions and Punjab Amendment) Bill. But these have not been forwarded to the President.Sharing the information at an all-party meeting, the Chief Minister said: “We will bring the Bills again as the Constitution provides that if Bills are passed twice by the Vidhan Sabha, they have to be sent by the Governor to the President.” He said the Governor should not have sat on the Bills. “The state is empowered to amend the laws under Article 254 (ii) of the Constitution,” he added.Pointing out that the President had refused to meet Punjab leaders following the passage of the Bills on the ground that he had not received the Bills, the CM told the all-party meeting that he would seek time again from the President. He said he was in constant touch with the Union Home Minister on the issue of farm laws and the farmers’ protest, as suggested by the Prime Minister.Underlining the need for early resolution of the crisis, the Chief Minister said the threat from Pakistan could not be undermined. He recalled how soon after prolonged two-month negotiations on an earlier Punjab crisis, related to a list of 42 demands, Operation Bluestar happened. “If anger builds here, it will be exploited,” the CM warned.Capt Amarinder promised to look into SAD leader Prem Singh Chandumajra’s suggestion that the government should provide loan waiver to the families of all those killed during the ongoing farmers’ agitation.

The Tribune

2021-02-03

Chandigarh