Farmer’s decision to withdraw ‘rail roko’ (stop train) agitation over the Centre’s three new farm bills is apparently hinging on the Punjab Cabinet meeting scheduled to be held on Wednesday. As a result, the deadlock between the Punjab Government and the farmers’ bodies continue — at least for the time being.
Undeterred by the State Government’s repeated appeals to call back their ‘rail roko’ agitation citing shortage of coal in its thermal plants, among other things, the farmers’ organisations has firmly asked the authorities concerned to “wait till October 15” — the deadline fixed by the farm bodies for the Congress Government to convene the special assembly session to repeal the Acts.
Also, the farmers’ bodies are scheduled to meet on October 15, and any decision on future course of action would be taken after that.
Notably, the State Government has set up a three-member ministerial panel including Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, and Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, to hold talks with the protesting farmers.
On Tuesday, Bajwa and Sarkaria along with Punjab Chief Minister’s political secretary Capt Sandeep Singh Sandhu met the farmers’ leaders to appeal to them to lift their ‘rail roko’ protests. “They appealed to us not to stop trains. We told them that we cannot say anything as of now as we have our meeting on October 15,” said Balbir Singh Rajewal.
He added, “Besides, we questioned them, reminding them about the promise the Chief Minister made in our meeting on September 29 to convene the special assembly session in which a new Act will be brought. You have a Cabinet meeting tomorrow, and if you will decide to convene the session, we will thank you and consider your demand.”
At the same time, the farm bodies have also made clear its intent to stage protests against Congress leaders just the way the farmers are protesting against the BJP leaders in case the Government fails to decide upon the special assembly session.
Rajewal said Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, in his meeting with the representatives of 31 farmer unions on September 29 to take their views on the matter, had promised that the Government would bring its own Act to stop the implementation or nullify the Centre’s three farm laws. “Agriculture is the state subject, trade within the state is also a state subject and the centre cannot interfere in it,” he added.
It has been learnt that the State Government’s delegation had assured the farmers’ organisations that a special Vidhan Sabha session is being convened by the State Government next week to reject the Agriculture Laws passed by the Centre.
The Ministers are learnt to have asked the farmers to lift the ‘Rail Roko strike’, but they refused to relent.
Available information suggests that the State Government may convene the special Assembly session on the controversial farm Act next week, the decision regarding which would be taken in Cabinet meeting on October 14 (Wednesday).
Notably, the Congress high command has asked the Congress-ruled States to negate the agriculture-related Central laws by passing their own legislations by convening the special assembly session at the earliest.
In an advisory sent to the Congress-ruled states, it has been asked to explore the possibilities to pass laws in their respective States under Article 254(2) of the Constitution, which allows the State legislatures to pass a law to negate the Central laws encroaching upon the State’s jurisdiction.
Monika Malik n Chandigarh
Farmer’s decision to withdraw ‘rail roko’ (stop train) agitation over the Centre’s three new farm bills is apparently hinging on the Punjab Cabinet meeting scheduled to be held on Wednesday. As a result, the deadlock between the Punjab Government and the farmers’ bodies continue — at least for the time being.
Undeterred by the State Government’s repeated appeals to call back their ‘rail roko’ agitation citing shortage of coal in its thermal plants, among other things, the farmers’ organisations has firmly asked the authorities concerned to “wait till October 15” — the deadline fixed by the farm bodies for the Congress Government to convene the special assembly session to repeal the Acts.
Also, the farmers’ bodies are scheduled to meet on October 15, and any decision on future course of action would be taken after that.
Notably, the State Government has set up a three-member ministerial panel including Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, and Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, to hold talks with the protesting farmers.
On Tuesday, Bajwa and Sarkaria along with Punjab Chief Minister’s political secretary Capt Sandeep Singh Sandhu met the farmers’ leaders to appeal to them to lift their ‘rail roko’ protests. “They appealed to us not to stop trains. We told them that we cannot say anything as of now as we have our meeting on October 15,” said Balbir Singh Rajewal.
He added, “Besides, we questioned them, reminding them about the promise the Chief Minister made in our meeting on September 29 to convene the special assembly session in which a new Act will be brought. You have a Cabinet meeting tomorrow, and if you will decide to convene the session, we will thank you and consider your demand.”
At the same time, the farm bodies have also made clear its intent to stage protests against Congress leaders just the way the farmers are protesting against the BJP leaders in case the Government fails to decide upon the special assembly session.
Rajewal said Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, in his meeting with the representatives of 31 farmer unions on September 29 to take their views on the matter, had promised that the Government would bring its own Act to stop the implementation or nullify the Centre’s three farm laws. “Agriculture is the state subject, trade within the state is also a state subject and the centre cannot interfere in it,” he added.
It has been learnt that the State Government’s delegation had assured the farmers’ organisations that a special Vidhan Sabha session is being convened by the State Government next week to reject the Agriculture Laws passed by the Centre.
The Ministers are learnt to have asked the farmers to lift the ‘Rail Roko strike’, but they refused to relent.
Available information suggests that the State Government may convene the special Assembly session on the controversial farm Act next week, the decision regarding which would be taken in Cabinet meeting on October 14 (Wednesday).
Notably, the Congress high command has asked the Congress-ruled States to negate the agriculture-related Central laws by passing their own legislations by convening the special assembly session at the earliest.
In an advisory sent to the Congress-ruled states, it has been asked to explore the possibilities to pass laws in their respective States under Article 254(2) of the Constitution, which allows the State legislatures to pass a law to negate the Central laws encroaching upon the State’s jurisdiction.