Punjab on Tuesday became the first State to formally “reject” and “counter” the BJP-led Central Government’s three controversial farm laws with the Vidhan Sabha “unanimously” passing three Bills in a matter of minutes. Apart from this, “The Code of Civil Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2020”, to provide relief to the farmers against attachment of land up to 2.5 acres, was also passed by the House.

With the BJP deciding to stay away from the “special” session, all the political parties — the ruling Congress, the AAP, the SAD, and the Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) — come together to ensure the passage of the four Bills. The House cleared the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Special Provisions and Punjab Amendment Bill, 2020; The Essential Commodities (Special Provisions and Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2020; and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services (Special Provisions and Punjab Amendment) Bill 2020 “to protect the State’s farmers and agriculture by restoring various safeguards aimed at preventing damage apprehended by the farming community as a result of the central legislations”.

 One of the three “counter-Bill”, The Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services (Special Provisions and Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2020, has the provision on punishment for sale or purchase below MSP. It provides that no sale or purchase is done below MSP and violation of the same shall invite imprisonment and fine.

‘The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) (Special Provisions and Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2020’ seeks to amend sections 1(2), 14 and 15 the Centre’s Act to ensure that sale or purchase of wheat or paddy in the State is not allowed below the MSP. The amendment Bill also seeks to provide for punishment for harassment of farmers or payment of less price to the farmers by inserting new sections.

Both these Bills are aimed at preventing the “damage” apprehended by the State farmers with the enactment of the Central Act by restoring various safeguards, including MSP mechanism through the regulatory framework of the APMC laws, in order to secure and protect the interests and livelihood of farmers and farm labourers as also all others engaged in agriculture and related activities.

Meanwhile, to protect the consumers from hoarding and black-marketing of agricultural produce to secure, and protect the interests and livelihood of farmers and farm labourers as also all others engaged in agriculture and related activities, the State Government has brought in The Essential Commodities (Special Provisions and Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2020.

The Bill seeks to amend the Centre’s Act by amending some sections of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. It seeks to ensure status quo ante as on June 4, 2020, with regard to implementation of the Central Act namely, ‘The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020’.

The fourth Bill introduced by the Chief Minister provides relief to the farmers from attachment of their land not exceeding 2.5 acres. ‘The Code of Civil Procedure (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2020’ seeks to insert a provision for exemption of agriculture land not exceeding 2.5 acres from Section 60 of The Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, which provides for attachment or decree of various properties — moveable and immoveable.

Given the farmers’ apprehension about attachment or decree of their land as a consequence of enforcement of farming contracts or otherwise, the State Government is seeking, through this Bill, to give full exemption to small farmers and others from attachment or decree of land up to 2.5 acres.

Tabling the “counter-Bills”, the Chief Minister declared that he was “not afraid of resigning” and would not let “farmers suffer or be ruined”, while appealing to all the Opposition parties to unanimously pass the Bills.

Even after the unanimous passage of the counter-Bills, these now require the Governor VP Singh Badnore’s assent before they become a law.

The Chief Minister, who along with the representatives of all Opposition parties - AAP, SAD, LIP - has handed over the copies of the counter-Bills to the Governor later in the evening, said all the legislators would be meeting the President between November 2 and 5 to seek his intervention.