Farmer groups and political parties plan to intensify protests against the three farm bills that were signed into law Sunday by President Ram Nath Kovind, who ignored demands that he withhold his consent to legislation that the opposition has called anti -Friendly farmer and corporate.
Punjab’s Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh will organize a sit-in to protest the controversial laws on Monday in Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of freedom fighter Shaheed Bhagat Singh, on his birthday. Others taking part in the protest are state affairs manager Harish Rawat, all congressional state parliamentarians, and the MLA, the head of the Punjab unit of the Congress party, Sunil Jakhar, said on Sunday.
This will be Amarinder Singh’s first protest against the agricultural laws. Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and Secretary General of Congress Rawat will also visit Punjab for the first time since he took over state affairs.
Punjab Cabinet Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Nawanshahr MLA Angad Singh visited a Bhagat Singh memorial on Sunday to oversee arrangements for Monday’s sit-in. Channi said that Congress was about to launch a long-term campaign against the central government over the Bhagat Singh village agricultural bills, and that the CM is expected to announce further plans to force the Center to withdraw the legislation. .
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Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal said President Kovind’s consent to the three bills marked a “dark day for democracy and farmers.”
“It is very sad that @rashtrapatibhvn has refused to listen to the cries of farmers and Punjabis and has signed the bill #FarmBills and J&K excluding #Punjabi as an official language. Hopes that the president will act as the conscience of the nation and return the bills to Parliament failed, ”Badal tweeted.
On Saturday, SAD severed ties with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Center to protest against bills that farmers say put the interests of corporate entities before their own. Farmer groups have also expressed concern that the laws may pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system.
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The Agricultural Products Trade and Trade (Promotion and Facilitation) Act of 2020 seeks to give farmers freedom to sell their products outside of the notified markets of the Agricultural Products Market Committee (APMC).
The Agreement on Price Assurance and Agricultural Services for Farmers (Empowerment and Protection), 2020, will grant farmers the right to enter into a contract with agro-industrial companies, processors, wholesalers, exporters or large retailers for the sale of future agricultural products in a pre-agreed price.
The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020 will remove commodities such as grains, pulses, oilseeds, onions, and potatoes from the list of essential commodities and remove the imposition of stock storage limits.
On Sunday, farmers occupied the Amritsar-Delhi railway on Sunday, continuing their protest at the rail blockade against the controversial agricultural bills. People from nearby villages brought cooked food and other items for the protesters. Local gurdwaras organized community kitchens at the protest site.
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Women dressed in saffron dupattas also joined the protest, raising slogans against the Center and saying they would not allow the implementation of the three pieces of legislation.
Farmers, under the banner of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, have been organizing a sit-in on the train tracks in Punjab since last Wednesday.
Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee Secretary General Sarwan Singh Pandher demanded that the 13 Punjab MPs in session resign their seats with immediate effect in support of the farmers’ demands. He claimed that the BJP leaders would not be allowed to enter the Punjab villages.
The committee has announced an extension of its campaign against the bills until September 29. Train services have been suspended in the state due to protests.
Farmers have expressed fear that the Center’s agricultural reforms would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum price support system, leaving them at the “mercy” of big business.
The Trinamool Congress came out in support of Shiromani Akali Dal for resigning from the NDA government in the Center. In a tweet on Sunday, TMC national spokesman and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O ‘Brien offered the party’s support to SAD, which received a positive response from Punjab party chairman Sukhbir Singh Badal.
“We support the position of Sukhbir Singh Badal and Akali Dal with the farmers. Fighting for farmers is part of Trinamool’s DNA. In 2006, Mamata Banerjee risked her life on a historic 26-day fast for farmers’ rights. We oppose # FarmBills2020 as they jeopardize the role of States, MSP, PDS and acquisitions, ”O’Brien said on Twitter.
“Derek, your stance against #AgricultureBills in Parliament is well known. I appreciate your support, ”Badal said on the microblogging website in response to the TMC leader’s tweet.
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