Farmers Movement Archive

‘Cong. responsible for farm Bills’

A day after Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) quit the government over three agriculture sector Bills, pushed by the NDA government, the party has decided to “expose” the Congress party, which it accused of adopting ‘double-speak’ on the issue. At meeting of its core committee on Friday, the party discussed the different aspects of the alliance with the NDA, but the focus remained on sorting out the challenges that have currently come to the fore in the backdrop of farm legislations. Senior party leader Prem Singh Chandumajra told The Hindu that at the core committee meeting, party members analysed the entire situation in the backdrop of the Ms. Badal’s resignation. Mr. Chandumajra said the ruling Congress government was directly responsible for amending the State APMC Act (Agriculture Produce Marketing Act) in 2017 immediately after coming to power in the State, to include all the provisions of the Farming Produce Trade and Commerce Ordinance 2020. “Not only, this the Congress government is also party to the passing of the Farming Produce Ordinance as it participated in the consultative process to enable implementation of the Bills. Congress stands completely exposed and we will now tell people about Congress’s doublespeak,” said Mr. Chandumajra. Deflecting threat Responding to speculations surrounding the SAD’s departure from the NDA, Mr. Chandumajra said the Assembly election in Punjab, which is due in 2022, are far away. “Our first priority is to sort out the challenges that have currently come to the fore,” Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J.P. Nadda, however, kept up the rhetoric on how the three farm bills to which the SAD objected were important reforms in the agricultural sector. The SAD soft-peddling on withdrawing from the NDA, and the BJP’s support for the farm Bills does not augur an easy resolution to the issue within the alliance.

The Hindu

2020-09-19

CHANDIGARH / NEW DELHI