Ruchika M Khanna
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 29
Hit ’em where it hurts the most: This is what the 31 Farmers Unions in Punjab have decided to intensify their agitation against the new farm laws, starting on October 1.
Extending his government’s full support to farmers mobilizing against farm laws, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday assured farmers of all possible legal and other measures to fight against new farm laws. “Draconian”, including a special session by Vidhan Sabha to discuss and decide the way forward.
Chairing a meeting with representatives of 31 farmers’ unions to get their views on the matter, the Chief Minister said he will discuss the issue with his legal team later today to finalize next steps, including challenging farm laws in the Supreme Court.
With the farmers unanimous in their view that the laws were meant to favor business, the 30 agricultural unions have agreed to join the BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) protest of ghearoing corporate businesses.
Even as Punjab’s Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh extended his government’s full support to troubled farmers in these “dark and difficult times,” the unions have decided on a three-pronged strategy: residences in gherao of all the leaders of the BJP; gherao companies owned by multinational companies; Rail Roko statewide; and energize the Gram panchayats to pass resolutions against agricultural laws.
Before the representatives of the farmers’ unions met with the Chief Minister, they met here in Kisan Bhawan on Tuesday morning. Peasant leaders were unanimous in their opinion that the Chief Minister should also convene a Vidhan Sabha Special Session to reject the law and propose a law of their own that can circumvent these three laws promulgated by the BJP-led Center. .
In addition to the farmers’ representatives, the meeting was attended by the general secretary in charge of the AICC, Harish Rawat, the cabinet ministers Sukhjinder Randhawa and Bharat Bhushan Ashu, MLA Rana Gurjit Singh, the president of the PPCC, Sunil Jakhar, and the lawyer General Atul Nanda.
“We will take all possible measures to counter the Union Government’s attack on the constitutional and federal rights of the state and fight for the interests of the farmers,” Captain Amarinder assured the farmers’ representatives. If legal experts advise amending state laws to combat core laws, a special Vidhan Sabha session would be convened immediately to do so, he said.
I met with representatives of various farmers’ organizations in Punjab. My government will fight until the last moment to save our farmers and their livelihoods. We are exploring all legal avenues against these laws against farmers and will not allow our farmers to be affected in any way. pic.twitter.com/hAGo5HxnmO
– Captain Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) September 29, 2020
He made it clear that the government had no qualms about calling an Assembly session if that was the best way under the circumstances. However, he criticized SAD Chairman Sukhbir Badal’s demand for a special Vidhan Sabha session as a “cheap stunt” after his active support of the core laws for months.
The Chief Minister criticized the Akalis for pledging the interests of farmers to large corporations to further their petty political interests, noting that the SAD MLAs had chosen to stay away from the Vidhan Sabha session during which the resolution was passed. against agricultural bills.
“It was clear,” he said, “that the Akalis, led by Sukhbir Badal, had unconditionally supported agricultural ordinances at all times and only withdrew once their position in Punjab became untenable amid widespread distress among farmers. If they were so concerned about the interests of farmers, why didn’t Harsimrat Badal resign from the Union Cabinet at the time the Center introduced the Agricultural Ordinances?
Stating that the Center had no right to enact these laws as it amounted to a violation of the Constitution and an attack on the federal structure, the Chief Minister said that his government shared the concerns of the farmers and would do whatever was necessary to sink the government of the Union. attempt to ruin the agricultural community with these “draconian laws”.
“The battle will be fought on all fronts,” said the Chief Minister, adding that in addition to the Congressional signature drive, announced Monday by Harish Rawat, all Panchayats in the state would be asked to pass resolutions against the Laws of Agriculture and the same sent to the Government of the Union.
Stating that his government and the Punjab Congress were with the farmers in this ‘aukhi ghari’ (difficult time), Captain Amarinder said that he would take the suggestions of the Kisan unions to the legal experts to finalize the next course of action.
If the new laws were implemented, it would spell the end of agriculture, said the Chief Minister, warning that “in the times to come, the Government of India will follow up on these laws with the elimination of MSP and FCI, ending the system. time-tested agricultural acquisition and marketing as we know it ”.
“The mandis, which have existed and worked well for more than 60 years, will be eliminated and with the MSP also ending, wheat will be sold in the same way as corn today, at prices much lower than those dictated by the MSP. “, He said. additional.
Farmers not only in Punjab but throughout the country would be ruined, the Chief Minister said, underscoring the need to “fight tooth and nail against these draconian laws to save agriculture.”
He said he had written to the prime minister three times before the bills were passed, urging him not to go ahead with the measure as it would create immense problems for the entire nation, but got no response. Even his request for a rice paddy bonus to control stubble burning, especially in these times of COVID, had gone unheeded, he said.
“The Government of India could not be trusted to protect the interests of farmers alone,” he said, noting that the state had not received its GST compensation from the Center for eight months.
Promising to fight farm laws shoulder to shoulder with farmers, Jakhar said he was ready to step down as PPCC chair to join their protests without turning it into a political act.
“They (the Center) have killed the farmers with a pen. We will have to find a way to kill them with a pen, ”he said, joking:“ Kalam naal marya hai, assi kalam naal bachavange ”(We will save the farmers with the pen).
Earlier, several peasant leaders urged the Chief Minister to challenge the central laws legally and take the other necessary measures to protect the farmers, including blocking the construction of the Adani silos in the state. They all put their faith in Captain Amarinder to save the farmers from this catastrophe.
