Cutting across the political lines, Punjab’s all political parties, except for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on Tuesday came on a joint platform to seek immediate withdrawal of the Centre’s three new farm laws and statutory MSP (minimum support price). The demand came even as the CM Capt Amarinder Singh also announced to once again bring the amendment bills to negate the central farm laws in Vidhan Sabha as the Governor sat over the earlier ones.
While the BJP boycotted the all-party meeting, convened by the CM Capt Amarinder to evolve a consensus on the farmers’ issue, the Aam Aadmi Party staged a walkout before the resolutions were passed over its demand for sending out Punjab Police to Delhi borders for providing security to farmers. However, representatives of the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Lok Insaaf Party (LIP), SAD Democratic Party, BSP, CPI, and CPI (M) attended the meeting.
This is the second all-party meeting, convened by the CM Capt Amarinder, over the issue of Centre’s three agriculture acts against which the farmers have been staging a protest at Delhi borders for more than two months now. The previous meeting, held on June 24 last year, was convened when the Centre had introduced the farm ordinances.
Besides, the parties also condemned the “sponsored violence in Delhi” while deciding that an all-party delegation will meet the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and raise the issue, along with other matters of concern on the farmers’ agitation.
In addition, the all-party meeting also demanded an appropriate judicial inquiry to investigate the “laxity” and “complicity” of those responsible for maintaining peace and order at the Red Fort.
All parties, through a resolution, also urged the Central Government “to withdraw all cases registered against the farmers, farm workers, and journalists, and other peaceful agitators, and release all those detained by the police or any other agencies”. They demanded that the missing agitators should also be traced and restored to their respective families without any delay.
The representatives of all political parties also appreciated the action and position taken by the Kisan Sangarsh Samiti of 40 farmers’ unions, including 32 from Punjab.
A rare and complete unanimity prevailed at the all-party meeting on the need to sink all political differences to stand unitedly with the farmers in their fight against the “black” farm laws, with the message that “we are all together in this battle”.
The meeting saw a host of suggestions come from participants of all parties, ranging from an independent probe into the Red Fort violence, joint meeting with the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister seeking their intervention for the resolution of the crisis, appointment of a state observer at Delhi borders, and joining the farmers at the protest site without making a political statement, among others. The meeting started with a two-minute silence in remembrance of those who had died during the agitation so far. As of date, 88 farmers from Punjab had reportedly lost their lives in these protests, said the Chief Minister.
‘REDRESS GRIEVANCES OF ‘RESILIENT; FARMERS; WITHDRAW FARM LAWS’
Taking serious note of “substantial delay” by the Centre in resolving the crisis, Punjab’s political parties urged the Central Government to redress the grievances of farmers, who have shown exemplary resilience in their continued fight in the most democratic manner, by immediately withdrawing the three farm laws. The meeting passed a resolution to this effect, even as AAP walked out over their demand for deployment of Punjab Police to protect the farmers protesting at the Delhi borders, which the Chief Minister again rejected as unconstitutional.
“We talk about more federal powers for the states, then how can we do this?” asked Capt Amarinder as AAP leaders brought up the issue towards the end of the meeting. “What will you do if Himachal Pradesh and Haryana police come to Punjab,” quipped Cap Amarinder. Even as Capt Amarinder remarked that “Your (AAP) Chief Minister in Delhi can request the Union Home Minister to provide security there…We can’t do it as it’s not possible constitutionally,” AAP leaders walked out of the meeting.
The Chief Minister, however, stressed the need to fight the battle, which was led by Punjab but had not become a fight of the nation, constitutionally. Terming the agitation so far as “historic and unparalleled”, though some miscreants tried to sabotage it through untoward incidents at the Red Fort on Republic Day, the resolution meanwhile said that these acts “are truly condemnable and need to be probed thoroughly”.
However, these should not be the reason to victimize the agitating farmers, farmworkers, and others including the media persons, said the Resolution, calling upon the Government of India “to take steps to ensure that the farmers and farm workers participating in the agitation are not victimized in any manner”.
The resolution also called upon the Centre “to make MSP a statutory right of the farmers, and continue with the procurement of food grains by the Government of India through FCI and other such agencies as at present”, adding that “the procurement by arhtiyas may also continue as earlier”.
Noting that, as a result of the undue delay by the Central Government in resolving the crisis, “not only the peaceful agitators and their families are suffering but several farmers and farmworkers have lost their lives causing irreparable damage to them and anguish amongst the people of the country”, the resolution demanded the withdrawal of the new Environment Protection (Amendment) Act, 2020, while urging the Centre to drop the proposal to enact the proposed new Electricity (Amendment) Act, 2020.
The resolution also lauded farmers’ leader Rakesh Tikait for his contribution to the struggle, and also thanked Haryana farmers for their support to Punjab’s farmers in the agitation.
PUNJAB GOVT TO AGAIN BRING AMENDMENT BILLS IN ASSEMBLY
“Punjab Government will bring the State Amendment Bills to negate the draconian Farm Laws again in the Vidhan Sabha since the Governor has failed to send the earlier Bills to the President,” declared the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder during the meeting. “We will bring the Bills again as the Constitution provides that if Bills are passed twice by the Vidhan Sabha, they have to be sent by the Governor to the President,” he said, adding that the Governor should not have sat over the Bills.
The State was empowered to amend the laws under Article 254 (ii) of the Constitution, he added. Pointing out that the President had refused to meet Punjab leaders following the passage of the Bills in the Vidhan Sabha on the ground that he had not received the Bills, the Chief Minister told the all-party meeting that he will seek time again from the President. “I am also constantly in touch with the Union Home Minister on the issue of the farm laws and the farmer protests, as suggested by the Prime Minister,” he said.
‘THREAT FROM PAK COULD NOT BE UNDERMINED’
Underlining the need for early resolution of the crisis, the Chief Minister warned that the threat from Pakistan could not be undermined. His focus on security threats stemmed from his awareness of the grave challenges to Punjab, he added. “We have to work to resolve this issue before things go out of hand,” he said, adding that he knew how many drones, arms and ammunition were being smuggled into the state from across the border.