Updated: November 23, 2020 11:32:29 am
Members of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) block Khanda Chowk near Gurdwara Dukhniwaran Sahib in Patiala. (Express photo: Harmeet Sodhi)
Farmers in Punjab protesting the three recently agricultural laws enacted It will arrive in the National Capital on November 26 and 27 as part of its “Delhi Chalo” march call. They continue with the march despite the fact that Punjab Vidhan Sabha rejected all three laws by unanimous resolution and pass three agrarian amendment bills remove the State from the scope of central legislation.
The convening of the march, initially conducted by the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), a body of more than 200 farmers ‘organizations across the country, has been supported by nearly 500 farmers’ bodies. While farmers have lifted the blockade of all roads and agreed to let all the trains run in Punjab, it has not given up its protest against the central laws. The Indian Express explain why.
Why are Punjab farmers still protesting despite the state passing bills that negate core farm laws?
The three bills passed by the Punjab Vidhan Sabha underline that agriculture, agricultural markets and land are the main legislative domain of the state. In order to address one of the main complaints of protesting farmers, the bills, among other things, make the minimum support price (MSP) a legal provision.
Farmers say they are happy that the state has passed all three bills, but point out that the proposed state laws are at best a symbolic political statement against the Center’s farm laws and may remain mired in legal complications. . Bills can become law only if they obtain presidential consent, which they say is highly unlikely.
“We are protesting because the central laws have legal value. State bills do not have the same legal validity. We will not sit down until laws against farmers are repealed or the Center passes a bill related to the MSP. Agriculture is a state issue and the Center could not create confusion by passing laws on issues included in the state list, ”says Jagmohan Singh, General Secretary of Bharti Kisan Union (Dakuanda). He says that now the fight is not just for farmers in Punjab but for farmers across the country and that is why we are protesting “even though the state passes its own bills.”
Read also | Delhi Chalo March: ‘It will block all roads to Delhi … it’s a matter of our existence’
Farmers feel that by enacting the three laws, the Center has taken steps to end the MSP system. While MSP was never a legal provision, it has remained an agricultural exercise long practiced in favor of farmers.
The Special Provisions on Agricultural Products and Trade (Promotion and Facilitation) and the Punjab Amendment Bill 2020 guarantee procurement only in MSP, but the bill covers only two crops: wheat and rice.
Leaders of the Bhartiya Kisan (Kadian) Union in Ludhiana after a meeting to plan the strategy for the ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest. (Express photo: Gurmeet Singh)
How many farmers from Punjab will participate in the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march?
Farmers who owe their loyalty to the 30 agricultural unions that have continued their protest since September 24 in the state will march on Delhi. “We estimate that between 1 and 1.5 lakhs of Punjabi men, women and children will participate in the march,” says Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan, general secretary of BKU (Ugrahan), one of Punjab’s largest farmers’ organizations.
Jagmohan Singh of BKU (Dakaunda) adds that only from his organization “10,000 activists and 1,000 tractor cars will leave for Delhi” where no less than 1.5 lakh farmers from Punjab will hold a sit-in. He said farm crews will review his sit-in after a week.
FILE PHOTO: Farmers protest at a train station in Jalandhar, Punjab. (Express file photo: Gurmeet Singh)
What does the Center have to say about its laws and why are farmers unwilling to trust those guarantees?
The Center claims that its three agricultural laws will transform Indian agriculture and attract private investment while freeing farmers by giving them the freedom to sell their products anywhere in the country. The three laws say nothing about the MSP as a legal provision.
Punjab has been known to have urged the Government of India to enact a law whereby the Center would procure wheat and rice from Punjab in accordance with the proposed Cash Credit Limit (CCL) sent by the state for the next decade . The Center refused to accept this proposal, farmers say, claiming it was a clear indication that the Government of India will eventually stop sourcing crops from MSP in the coming years. “If they cannot secure the acquisition for 10 years, how can we trust the Center’s statements that it will not stop acquiring wheat and rice from Punjab?” Asked a senior Punjab government official. The official said that if the Center was honest about its statement, then a law on MSP should be enacted. 📣 Express Explained is now on Telegram
Farmers now say they want a guaranteed price for all crops and the Center must draw up a law that guarantees the same.
Protesting farmers during a “Chakka jam” against farm laws. (Express photo: Gurmeet Singh)
Can Punjab handle the 30 to 32 million tonnes of cereals (wheat and rice) it purchases for the MSP core group on its own?
Experts say that Punjab can do this for a few years, but only by implementing an efficient procurement system, as there is a high demand for wheat and rice in the Indian markets, as well as in several countries. They said that with this, Punjab also needs to gradually switch to other crops according to the demand of domestic and international markets.
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