Punjab Assembly adopts resolution against center's agricultural laws

Punjab Assembly adopts resolution against center’s agricultural laws.

After a discussion in the chamber, the resolution passed in the absence of two BJP lawmakers.

Chandigarh: The Punjab Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution against the Center’s three controversial agricultural laws, claiming it had illegally ventured into the domain of the state government.

It is the second resolution adopted by Vidhan Sabha against the three agricultural laws of the Center. The first was approved in October last year when Amarinder Singh was the Prime Minister of Punjab.

The resolution was proposed by the state Agriculture Minister Randeep Singh Nabha on the final day of the Assembly’s two-day session.

After a discussion in the chamber, the resolution passed in the absence of two BJP lawmakers.

“This extraordinary session of Vidhan Sabha held on November 11, 2021, through a resolution promoted by the Punjab Minister of Agriculture and adopted by the House, once again rejects the three contentious legislation that was enacted by the Union government. without any competition, by illegally entering the domain of the states, “he said.

Describing the three farm laws as an “attack on the federal structure,” Mr. Nabha said that the Punjab government will not implement them.

According to the resolution, Vidhan Sabha strongly disapproves of and condemns the Union government’s efforts to “systematically dismantle regulated farmer-friendly mandis and replace them with unregulated, trader-friendly mandis”.

“The Punjab Vidhan Sabha is concerned about the unfair concessions given to merchants and corporations to allow purchases in unregulated markets without paying market fees, rural development fees, etc. and thus providing an unfair advantage to the unregulated markets versus regulated mandi “. He said.

The resolution said this will eventually lead to a shift from APMC’s mandi trade to the private mandi, as well as causing financial losses to the state government and adversely affecting rural development.

Participating in the discussion, AAP MLA Kultar Singh Sandhwan called the Center’s agricultural laws an “attack on the federal structure” and said that the prime minister’s residence should be gheraoed to pressure the central government to repeal the laws.

The head of the Punjab Congress, Navjot Singh Sidhu, attacked the AAP-led government of Delhi, claiming that it had notified one of the Center’s agricultural laws and claimed that it has not yet been denoted.

Sidhu said it was Congress that enacted a Water Termination Act that now allows a single drop of water to be taken out of the state. It was Congress that brought in the minimum support price, the public distribution system, and the Food Corporation of India, he added.

It was only the Manmohan Singh government in the Center that had given up 72 billion rupees of agricultural debt, it further said.

He said that the government led by Amarinder Singh had waived between 5,000 and 7 billion rupees of agricultural debt.

When Sidhu was speaking, the Akali legislators shouted slogans against him.

AAP MLA Harpal Singh Cheema questioned the role of the congressional-led government in the state on the issue of farm laws.

Akali Dal MLA Gurpartap Singh Wadala accused the AAP of playing a “double game”, claiming that it had notified one of the three agricultural laws of the Center.

He also said that Akali Dal had severed his ties with the NDA and had left the ministry in the union cabinet over the issue of agricultural laws.

Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia investigated Navjot Singh Sidhu and said that when Punjab’s Contract Farming Law was introduced in 2013, his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu was part of the SAD-BJP regime.

The house also passed the Punjab Contract Farming Bill (Repeal) of 2021 to repeal the Punjab Contract Farming Act of 2013.

The assembly also passed the Punjab Agricultural Markets (Amendment) Bill, 2021.