New farm laws attack on federal structure: Sidhu
Item
Title
New farm laws attack on federal structure: Sidhu
Description
Former Punjab cabinet minister and Amritsar East legislator Navjot Singh Sidhu on Sunday attended a tractor rally led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi here to protest the Centre’s new farm laws. Sidhu’s participation in the rally came three days after All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in-charge of Punjab affairs Harish Rawat met him at his residence in Amritsar. Sidhu, who had been at loggerheads with chief minister Amarinder Singh, had stayed away from all Congress activities ever since he resigned as cabinet minister last year. Wearing a black turban as a symbol of protest against BJP government’s anti-farmer laws, Sidhu, took 15-minutes to complete his trademark address comprising poetry, satire and sharp political comments that invited repeated applause by the audience. Sidhu strongly opposed farm laws as an “attack on the federal structure” and also said these black laws would ruin the farming community and others associated in the agrarian economy. “They (BJP government) are robbing us of our rights,” he said, adding the Centre had imposed a “system which had failed in Europe and the US”. These new legislations would adversely affect five lakh labourers and 30,000 commissioned agents, Sidhu claimed. The outspoken leader also asked the cash-strapped Punjab government to take the onus of assuring minimum support price (MSP) and storage to farmers by amending state legislations.“Governments are not expected to turn its back on the key issues. Farmers need MSP and if the central government intends to dilute it, then the Punjab government needs to step in to ensure profitability on their crops. A special assembly session should be called on farmers’ issues,” Sidhu said while referring to his political bête noire Punjab CM.When Punjab cabinet minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on the stage asked Sidhu to cut short his speech, he replied, “ Bhaji aaj na rok... pehlan vee bithaye rakhya see (Brother, do not stop me today).”
Publisher
Hindustan Times
Date
05-10-2020
Coverage
City