Farmers Movement Archive

Scrap farm laws, talk to farmers to find way forward, CM urges Centre

Chandigarh: Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Friday demanded immediate scrapping of the Centre’s new farm laws, calling for detailed discussions with farmers to find a way forward. Pointing out that many farmers had died in these protests, he said it was high time the Centre realised its blunder and withdrew the farm laws, which completed one year, in the interest of farmers and the nation. Capt Amarinder was speaking at the inauguration of the third state-level virtual Kisan Mela organised by Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. The two-day mela is based on the theme ‘Karie parali di sambhal, dharti maa hove khushhal’, in line with the state government’s focus on eliminating stubble burning. The chief minister, who wore a ‘no farmers, no food’ badge, called for immediate revocation of the laws, which he said were detrimental to the interest not just of the agricultural community but the entire country. What was happening with the farmers today was extremely sad, given the immense contribution made by them to India’s development and progress, he said. “Till date, the Constitution of India has been amended as many as 127 times, so why can it not be amended once again to scrap the farm laws and resolve the imbroglio resulting from them? What is the problem in doing it a 128th time?” he demanded to know from the BJP-led central government. Recalling that he had been asked by the Centre to stop Punjab’s farmers from going to Delhi last November, Amarinder said he had refused point blank to do so, as protest is the democratic right of farmers. “Why should they not protest? How can I stop them?” he asked, making it clear that he continues to stand with the farmers in their fight against the draconian legislations, with his government continuing to give compensation and jobs to the families of the deceased farmers. Amarinder recalled that he had been attending Kisan Melas since 1970. He stressed on the importance of agriculture as the lifeline of Punjab, and urged farmers to take full advantage of PAU’s advancements in technologies and seeds among other things. He underlined the importance of continued research to keep pace with the developments in agriculture the world over. Citing Israel’s success in use of drip irrigation for judicious use of the fast-depleting water table, the chief minister said Punjab’s ground water level had been continuously going down. The state’s diversification programme was linked to ensure minimal use of water, he added.

The Times of India

2021-09-18

Chandigarh