Asserting that he was prepared to resign or be dismissed rather than bow to injustice towards Punjab’s farmers, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday warned of possible disruption of the State’s peace and threat to national security as a result of the Farm Laws, pointing out that nobody can tolerate religious hurt and attack on livelihood.
“I am carrying my resignation in my pocket and would give it willingly, rather than compromising on the interests of Punjab and its farmers,” said the Chief Minister.
“I am not afraid of resigning. I am not afraid of my government being dismissed. But I will not let the farmers suffer or be ruined,” said the Chief Minister, pointing out that he had chosen to quit at the time of Operation Blue Star instead of accepting or endorsing the assault on Sikh ethos.
Cautioning the Centre against allowing the situation to get out of hand, Capt Amarinder said that if the farm laws are not revoked, angry youth can come out on the streets to join the farmers, leading to chaos. “The way things are going on at present, the situation has the potential to disturb the peaceful atmosphere,” he warned, observing out that this is what had happened in the 80s and 90s.
Both China and Pakistan will collude and try to take advantage of any disruption of the state’s peace, which would pose a serious threat to national security, he added.
Reiterating his full support to the agitating farmers, who were left with no option but to fight to save themselves and their families, Capt Amarinder appealed to them to help out the State Government by ending the ‘Rail Roko’ and blockades and allow movement of essential commodities.
“We have stood with you, now it is your turn to stand with us,” he appealed to the farmers, adding that the entire House was with them but the State was going through tough times, with power generation at a precarious low, no urea for fertilizers and no space in godown for fresh paddy arrivals.
Presenting the government’s four Bills to negate the Centre’s Farm Laws on the second day of the special session of the House, the Chief Minister said that the Bills are the part of the State Government’s multi-pronged approach to safeguard the interest of the farmers and the identity of Punjab.
“In the name of farming laws, we have actually enacted Trade Laws. It is not farmers who will have access to a national market, but traders. Hence, the use of the term “trade area” in the so-called Farmers legislation is also very telling,” he said.
Making it clear that Punjab Government would not allow the state’s farming community and agriculture, which were the back of its growth and development, to be ruined by the BJP through such devious methods, he said that the four Bills were aimed at preventing the damage that the central laws would cause to the state and its agriculture.
TO MEET PRESIDENT BETWEEN NOV 2 AND 5
Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh will lead a delegation of all MLAs to the president Ram Nath Kovind to seek his intervention in the interest of the state.
“I have sought time from the President of India between November 2 and 5, and all Punjab legislators will together go to him to seek his intervention in the interest of the State,” said the Chief Minister adding that he did not think the Centre could afford to ignore the voice of Punjab and hoped they would realize that killing MSP would spell the death knell for farming.
Punjab Government was all set to take legal recourse if the Governor does not sign the amendment Bills passed in the Vidhan Sabha to save the farmers and agriculture, he said after meeting the Governor and handing over to him copies of the Resolution and the state Bills which the Assembly had earlier passed unanimously.
During the 20-minute meeting with the Governor, he was accompanied by Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar, Leader of Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema, and SAD legislative wing leader Sharanjit Singh Dhillon and others MLAs.
Asked about the possibility of the Centre imposing President’s Rule in the state to scuttle the attempts to negate the Farm Laws, Capt Amarinder said: “Let’s wait and see…we will move step by step.””However, if the situation comes to such a pass, the Centre would not need to dismiss me as I am carrying my resignation in my pocket and would give it willingly, rather than compromising on the interests of Punjab and its farmers,” he said.
APPEALS TO FARMERS TO CALL OF ‘RAIL ROKO’
Appealing to the farmers to call off their ‘Rail Roko’ agitation, Capt Amarinder said that crores of rupees worth of paddy was lying in godowns and needed to be shifted out to make way for wheat. Coal stocks had run out and urea was in short supply, he said, adding that this was badly impacting both agriculture and industry in the state.