Farmers Movement Archive

Farm laws: Cong, AAP lock horns

Chandigarh: The incumbent Congress and opposition AAP exchanged barbs over farm laws on the fifth day of the budget session of the assembly. While leader of opposition Harpal Singh Cheema said Punjab had representation in the Centre’s committee of agriculture reforms, chief minister Amarinder Singh referred to the Delhi government notification, allegedly endorsing the farm laws. Soon after Cheema made the charge, finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal said he had attended the meeting of the panel and placed on record the minutes of its proceedings. Later, CM added, “As pointed out by Manpreet in the House, the minutes of the committee meetings were available as the state government had placed them in the House.” At both meetings held after Punjab was included in the committee following his letter to the Centre, his government had categorically cautioned the Centre against tinkering with MSP in any way, he added. Amarinder, who had earlier in the House shown the members a copy of the Delhi Gazette notification implementing one of the three farm laws, asaid AAP was cheating the farmers with its false propaganda. in their support when it had actually repeatedly backstabbed them. To make his point, he even recalled AAP’s earlier U-turns on the issue in Punjab. Earlier in the House, the AAP MLAs had rushed into the well before staging a walkout, alleging that the CM was a member of the high-powered committee set up by the Centre on agricultural reforms and hence party to the decision on the farm laws. Even though Amarinder himself clarified that he was not present at any meeting of the committee, Manpreet had attended one meeting while an officer was present in another. However, Cheema retorted that Congress leadership should have told people of the state about what the Centre was planning to bring about in the farm sector.

The Times of India

2021-03-06

Chandigarh