Captain Amarinder Singh, Rahul Gandhi and other leaders participated in the protest.
Chandigarh:
Punjab Prime Minister Amarinder Singh warned the central government on Sunday that protests against the controversial new farm laws will continue until they are repealed or amended to address concerns raised by farmers.
“Verbal guarantees from the BJP-led government cannot be relied upon. We will not back down from the fight against black farm laws until they are amended to give a constitutional guarantee in writing on the minimum support price (MSP) and the continuation of the FCI (Food Corporation of India) ”, he said.
We will not rest until the central government repeals the laws against farmers or amends them to address the legitimate concerns of Punjab and our farmers. Punjab will continue to fight for its constitutional rights and the rights of its people, until justice is served. #KhetiBachaoYatrapic.twitter.com/lpUvitjSOv
– Captain Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) October 4, 2020
Promising to scrap the new farm laws once Congress returns to power in the center, former party chief Rahul Gandhi and Captain Singh led a tractor rally in Moga, Punjab, in which they accused the BJP-led government of acting. at the behest of companies to “destroy” farmers. .
The Congress, which governs Punjab, will hold tractor rallies from October 4-6 across the state in protest against the center’s new agricultural laws.
“It is a happy day because we are waging a war against the new laws. The farmers union is against it. We will go to all the towns of Punjab,” said Captain Singh.
“Punjab farmers had been responsible for providing India with food security and feeding the nation for six decades and their interests had to be protected at all costs. We are less than 2% of the national area and we feed more than 50% of the area. 65 percent of India depends on agriculture, “he said.
The congressional veteran also attacked opposition Shiromani Akali Dal, which split from the BJP over the farm bill amid immense backlash from its voter base.
“The Akalis and the BJP should not be trusted. Hardeep Puri, the Union minister, has clarified that Harsimrat (Kaur Badal of Akali Dal) accepted these ordinances,” he said.
The three controversial farm bills were passed late last month amid nationwide protests by farmers who say the laws will stunt their bargaining power and allow large retailers to have control over prices.
Farmers’ organizations say one of the three laws could lead the government to stop buying grain at guaranteed prices, or MSP, a move that would disrupt wholesale markets that have so far ensured fair and timely payments to farmers.
The government, however, has clarified that the wholesale markets will operate as usual and only aims to train farmers to sell directly to buyers.
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