Farmers Movement Archive

Go all out to negate effect of new farm laws, Cong MLAs tell CM at CLP meet

Chandigarh Punjab Congress MLAs on Sunday asked the Capt Amarinder Singh government to take all possible steps, including a Bill, to negate the effect of the three agriculture marketing laws enacted by the Centre on farmers in the state. The MLAs were unanimous in their view at the meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) chaired by chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh here. They asked the chief minister to reject the three anti-farmer legislations and bring a new Bill or make suitable amendments in the existing laws to provide for strict action, including imprisonment, against those who purchase wheat or paddy below the minimum support price (MSP). They also said the CM should leave no stone unturned to invalidate the contentious agriculture marketing laws even if it means running the risk of dismissal of the state government by the Centre. The MLAs who spoke included Barindermeet Singh Pahra, Pargat Singh, Angad Saini, Darshan Singh Brar, Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and Fatehjang Singh Bajwa. Amarinder, who addressed the CLP, said the state government will fight this till the Supreme Court. “The views of the MLAs will be taken into account while finalising the strategy to battle the farm laws, in consultation with legal and independent experts, including former Union minister P Chidambaram and other lawyers,” he said, refusing to go into the specifics of the legislative action planned by his government. Advocate general Atul Nanda was also present. Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar later said the MLAs spoke in once voice on the need to stand with the farmers and the chief minister was also clear that he will not let any harm come to farmers irrespective of the cost. “The state government will take care of farmers and no cost is too high,” he said. At the CLP meeting, several MLAs also stressed the need for aggressively countering the false propaganda being spread by the opposition parties, particularly the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), against the state government and party on the Agricultural Produce Markets Act, 2017, and other related issues. The party MLAs suggested that the role of Akalis in the enactment of the Centre’s three new laws and the Punjab Contract Farming Act, 2013, should be exposed.

Hindustan Times

18-10-2020

City