Farmers Movement Archive

Captain rebuts Niti Aayog vice-chairman

Chandigarh: Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh expressed surprise at Niti Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar’s claim that no one spoke about the farm laws in the sixth governing council meeting of the Aayog held on Saturday. Reacting to Kumar’s claim, the Punjab CM stated that though he could not personally attend the virtual conference due to ill health, his speech, which was submitted to the Niti Aayog on Thursday, had clearly highlighted the issue. Not only had he reiterated his government’s stand that agriculture was a state subject and law-making on it should be left to the states in the true spirit of “cooperative federalism”, he had also underscored, in black and white, the need to resolve the farmers’ issues on urgent basis, Captain Amarinder said, rejecting the claim of the Niti Aayog VC as false and baseless. Capt Amarinder said his government’s stand on the farm laws had been consistent all through, at every forum, and the state amendment bills, passed in the Vidhan Sabha, were an endorsement of the same. It was unfortunate that the governor was sitting over these Bills instead of forwarding them to the President for assent, he said. The central government should not make it an issue of prestige and should be willing to revoke the legislations to find an effective, long-term solution to the problem, he added.

The Times of India

2021-02-22

Chandigarh