lambasting the Badals for “ditching the farmers” on proposed amendments to the land Bill, Punjab Congress on Tuesday described the volte-face move of the Narendra Modi Government as a “first major victory for the Congress”.“Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal have ditched the farmers on proposed amendments to the land bill from which the Narendra Modi Government had now backtracked…It is a first major victory for the Congress which had maintained consistent pressure under the aggressive and dynamic leadership of Rahul Gandhi,” said the State party president Partap Singh Bajwa.
Bajwa, speaking to the media persons in Mansa, said that it was the UPA-II that had adopted the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act in 2013 to protect the interests of the farmers which was also supported by the BJP at that time. “However, after coming into power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lost no time in issuing an ordinance to amend the Act to remove all pro-farmer clauses under pressure from the corporates who had funded the BJP poll campaign,” he said.
He asserted that it was the Congress which maintained consistent pressure on the NDA and mobilised the farming community in the entire country. “It was Rahul Gandhi who vociferously opposed the amendments both inside and outside the Parliament,” he said.Bajwa pointed that on the other hand, the Akali Dal preferred not to oppose the anti-farmer bill in the lok Sabha that thoroughly exposed the party.
He accused Badal of neglecting the farmers in the State, and slammed the Badal State Government for “criminal indifference” to the sufferings of the people and demanded immediate financial assistance.Bajwa attended the bhog ceremony of the victims of Manikaran bus tragedy in Joga village of Mansa district, and interacted with the bereaved families. He assured the families that very soon, he along with MlA Ajit Inder Singh Mofar will lead a delegation to the Chief Minister Badal and demand compensation to the tune of `10 lakh to each family immediately
He also assured that he will take up this matter with Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh that the already announced compensation should be released immediately and the recovery operation should be taken at war footing.