Punjab politics on Tuesday witnessed a historic day with all the political parties, except the BJP, transcending political barriers, coming together to “unanimously” pass a resolution and four Bills after a day of hectic activity to counter the Centre’s controversial farm laws.
The Congress-led State Government ensured that the resolution “to formally reject black farm laws”, and the three amendment bills “to save farmers, protect MSP and check hoarding of foodgrains”, be passed, in a matter of a few minutes, after tabling it in the House. All, except two ‘absent’ BJP MLAs, unanimously voted in favour of the resolution and the Bills.
That was not all! To underscore the significance of the Bills and resolution, the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh led an all-party delegation to the Governor VP Singh Badnore to personally hand over to the Governor the copies of the same.
Exhibiting a rare bonhomie, members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and the Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) joined hands against the BJP-led Central Government on the issue of farm bills.
In doing so, Punjab became the first state in the country to formally reject the Centre’s black farm laws, with the state Assembly unanimously passing a resolution rejecting the legislations and the proposed Electricity Amendment Bill, and seeking their immediate annulment along with a new Ordinance to protect MSP and ensure continuance of procurement by the Centre.
Amidst speculations regarding the Bills getting the Governor and the President’s nod, the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh declared that the state has the legal remedy available with it. “Just like the case of the Punjab Termination of Water Agreements Act, the State Government will continue to fight the central laws legally, for which a team of lawyers and experts is on board,” he said.
Talking about the delay in providing the copies of the Bills regarding which the opposition parties held protests, Capt Amarinder said that the Bills would form the basis of the state’s legal battle ahead and, hence, needed to be thoroughly vetted before presentation.
The Chief Minister informed the House that he had sought time from the President to raise Punjab’s concerns on the farm laws and seek his intervention to protect the farmers.
Notably, the agrarian state of Punjab has been witnessing intense protests since past two months against the Centre’s controversial farm laws with the farmers hitting the streets, blocking trains, roads, protesting at toll plazas, staging dharnas outside retail outlets of big corporate houses, and residences of the state BJP leaders.
Assuring all support to the farmers while vowing not to let Punjab’s peaceful atmosphere be vitiated at any cost, the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh reiterated his appeal to Kisan Unions to allow movement of trains for the transportation of coal, urea and foodgrains.
Pointing out that the State Government had already lost Rs 40,000 crores in revenue due to the farmers’ ‘rail roko’ agitation, Capt Amarinder said that the industry and business was as much the responsibility of the State Government as was agriculture and the farmers’ fight was against Delhi, not against Punjab. “I hope that the farmers’ organizations will heed this appeal,” he said.
As the SAD MLA Bikram Singh Majithia questioned on the “future” of the state amendment Bills, Capt Amarinder said that he had already made it clear that the Bills would have to go to the Governor who may or may not approve them. “Thereafter, they would also need to go to the President, who may also approve or reject them. However, as in the case of the Punjab Termination of Water Agreements Act, the State Government will continue to fight the central laws legally,” he said.
The Chief Minister also regretted that several legislators indulged in frivolous activities on Monday to gain political mileage, with some coming in tractors and some spending the night in the Assembly precincts in protest against non-receipt of his government’s Bills, the Chief Minister said he had signed the same at 9.30 p.m. after extensive discussions and consultations with various experts. Such delays in sharing copies of Bills happen in emergency sessions, he said, pointing to something similar happening when his government had brought in the Punjab Termination of Water Agreements Act during his last tenure in 2004.
Speaking during the discussion on the Bills, the Congress MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu said that Punjab made the country food surplus and fed 80 crore people. He highlighted the “discrepancies” in the rise of incomes of other sections of society and farmers, saying, “Our Constitution is being violated by the Centre-Punjab naal dhakka ho riha hai”.
“It is a conspiracy to make Punjab helpless when corporate enter the trade of agriculture products,” he said, alleging “You (referring to the BJP) want to hand over the agriculture to Ambani and Adani.”
RESOLUTION, REJECTING FARM LAWS, ELECTRICITY AMENDMENT BILL PASSED UNANIMOUSLY; HOUSE SEEKS ANNULMENT
In a major move to protect the state’s farmers and agriculture, Punjab Vidhan Sabha unanimously passed a resolution rejecting outright the Centre’s anti-farmer laws and the proposed Electricity Amendment Bill.
The resolution sought annulment of the Farm Laws and the proposed Electricity Bill, as well as promulgation of “a fresh ordinance making the procurement of food grains on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) a statutory right of the farmers and continue with procurement by Government of India through FCI and other such agencies”.
The resolution stated that the House expressed deep regret over the “callous and inconsiderate attitude of the Government of India in attending to the concerns of the farming community on recent allegedly farm legislation enacted by them”.
It reads that the Assembly is constrained to unanimously reject the three (Farm) legislations and the proposed Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
“These three legislations along with the proposed Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020 are clearly against the interests of farmers and landless workers, and time-tested agriculture marketing system established not only in Punjab but also in original green revolution areas of Punjab, Haryana, and Western UP,” it said, adding that the Government of India had clearly enacted trade legislations and not farm legislations.
The resolution stated that these laws are also against the Constitution of India (Entry 14 List-II), which comprises agriculture as a subject of the State. These legislations are a “direct attack, and use of subterfuge to encroach upon the functions and the powers of the States, as enshrined in the country’s Constitution”.