Terming the President’s assent to the Farm Bills as unfortunate and distressing, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Sunday said his government is exploring all options, including possible amendments to the state laws, to protect the interests of the farmers.
All farmer organisations and other stakeholders would be taken into confidence before taking any decision on the way forward, the Chief Minister said, adding that the state government was committed to the procurement of every single grain of the farmers without compromising on the pricing. His government was already in consultation with legal and agricultural experts, and all those impacted by the Central Government’s calamitous legislations, to decide on the future course of action, he said.
Besides legal recourse, his government was looking at other options to scuttle the Centre’s new Agriculture laws that are designed to ruin Punjab’s farmers and economy, said the Chief Minister, who is scheduled to sit on dharna against the draconian legislations on Monday at Khatkar Kalan, SBS Nagar, after paying tributes to Shaheed Bhagat Singh at the Samadhi Sthal of the martyr.
Capt Amarinder expressed disappointment and anguish over the decision of President Ram Nath Kovind to give the nod to the three unconstitutional and anti-farmer Agriculture Bills, without giving the Congress and other Opposition parties the opportunity to put their concerns before the Parliament.
The President’s assent had come as a big blow to the farmers, who are out on the roads protesting against the Centre’s assault on their interests, he said. Implementation of these dangerous new laws in their current form would destroy Punjab’s agriculture – the lifeline of its economy, said Capt Amarinder.