Amidst vociferous protests by the farmers in the State over Centre’s three new farm acts and attack by the opposition parties, the Congress-led State Government is likely to convene a ‘special’ Vidhan Sabha session by the end of this month to pass resolutions or bills effectively nullifying the new “controversial” laws.
The State Cabinet is likely to take a decision in this regard in its October 14 meeting.
It has been learnt that the Government is planning to amend its Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act and declare the entire state as a ‘principal mandi yard’ — a demand already raised by the SAD.
Notably, the protesting farmers had fixed October 15 as deadline for the Congress Government to convene the special assembly session to repeal the Centre’s Acts. Continuing their ‘rail roko’ agitation at several locations in the state affecting movement of goods trains, the farmers have threatened to further intensify their protest if deadline was not met.
At the same time, the Akali Dal’s core panel has also served a week’s ultimatum to the state government to convene the session.
To hold talks with the protesting farmers, the State Government has set up a three-member ministerial panel including Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, and Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria. Even as the government panel has requested the farmers for the talks, they are yet to respond.
A senior Congress leader, requesting anonymity, told The Pioneer that the party is under a lot of pressure. “Earlier, we were planning to move the Supreme Court against the farm laws. But, the party high command has decided that it would wait for that and have asked the Congress-ruled states to first convene the assembly session to pass resolutions or their own laws, whatever it deem fit, to override the central laws,” said the leader.
After holding talks with legal and farm experts, the Government is planning to make amendments in APMC Act to declare entire state as principal mandi yard as the move is expected to circumvent the provisions in the Centre’s ‘Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020’.
Sources in the party maintained that the party has, as of now, decided to put off its decision to move the Supreme Court against the three farm bills believing that taking the issue to the Court would give a completely different turn to the situation.
The Congress leader maintained that the passing of bills or resolutions by the Congress ruled states would get affected in case the Apex Court is moved as the entire issue would be subjudice and the President, who has to give his assent to every bill for becoming a law, can cite the ongoing cases to not sign the state bills.
Moreover, the adverse order would completely backfire and the ongoing agitation against the Centre would get badly affected, added the leader.
Punjab, being an agrarian state, is one of the most affected by these Centre’s laws and the agitation has intensified in the state ever since the bills were tabled in the Parliament. The ruling Congress has also organized a tractor rally against the bills in the state which was attended by Rahul Gandhi, giving a further boost to the anti-farm laws campaign.