Supporting the farmers’ nationwide call of holding protests, Punjab Congress on Monday held a massive protest at Shambhu barrier in which all Cabinet Ministers, MLAs, senior party leaders participated along with the state party chief Sunil Jakhar.
Jakhar, lashing out at the Central Government, said that since the BJP-led Government at the Centre has agreed that three agriculture laws have many flaws, it should scrap the bills with immediate effect.
“Instead of making amendments, the Union Government must roll back these bills without any further delay,” he said adding that the Centre should reinstate the rights of the state and as per the provisions of constitution allow the states to enact the laws on the subjects in the State list.
Upholding the basic spirit of the Constitution, without any violation with it, was the need of the hour, he said.
The state Congress chief said that in reality, the Centre was adamant to implement the laws for benefitting the corporate houses. “Already the rights of states have been squeezed by the Centre due to the monopolistic GST regime. The permanent solution for the agrarian crisis is easy if the Centre agrees to guarantee MSP to farmers and empower states to formulate laws on agriculture,” he added.
Slamming the Union Government for labeling the protesting farmers as ‘Tukde tukde’ gang, Jakhar said that those issuing such statements must remember that we were inheritors Sri Guru Teg Bahadur ji, who had sacrificed his life for country and religion, and “today, Punjabis are fighting war of farmers and poor people of the entire country”
Mincing no words, Jakhar said that in reality, BJP was full of hatred for Punjabis due to which Punjab was being targeted. “The idea behind implementing the black laws is to economically ruin the farmers of Punjab by denying MSP to them. As no one could become a soldier merely by wearing olive green dress, in the same way, no one could become a farmer by posing with crops after landing from a helicopter in elections,” he added.
Saying that farmers were sitting at the borders of Delhi and soldiers were safeguarding the borders, he said that the BJP leaders were hell bent upon selling the country to corporates.
Training his guns at Akali leadership also, he said that though SAD was celebrating its 100th year of formation, “due to their misdeeds, its leadership is not able to celebrate it by going to the people”.
Jakhar said that Akalis were hand in glove with BJP for enacting and implementing these laws but now they were doing tantrums of sacrifice. “On the other hand, the AAP Government has already implemented the bills in Delhi,” he added.
Punjab party affairs in-charge Harish Rawat on Tuesday said that Congress party would always flag the issues of farmers. “We are proud that we are standing with farmers,” he said adding that those people who won on behalf of farmers have backstabbed them by getting these bills implemented by conniving with BJP.
Provide jobs to one of family members of those who lost lives in ongoing protests: Warring
Chandigarh: Congress firebrand legislator from Giddarbaha Raja Amarinder Singh Warring on Monday urged Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to provide jobs apart from compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to one of the family members of those who lost lives in the ongoing farm protests against Centre’s agri laws.
“The government needs to take care of the bereaved families who have lost everything in losing breadwinners in the protest,” he said.
As the farmers protest at Delhi borders entered 19th day on Monday, nearly a dozen have lost their lives during the struggle till date (since November 26 when the farmers had headed towards Delhi and settled at Singhu and Tikri borders).