हिंदी
– AAP state president asks Chief Minister Channi to convene all-party meeting regarding farmers’ crisis
– Modi government taking Anti-farmer decisions to benifit a few corporates: AAP
– Said, all political parties should stand united in favor of ‘annadatas’ and put pressure on Modi
Chandigarh, October 3 2021
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab president and Member of Parliament Bhagwant Mann termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s advocacy of black laws on agriculture as wrong and dictatorial in all respects. At the same time, Mann demanded from the Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi to convene an all-party meeting immediately on the issues of agriculture; so that an all-party delegation would later meet the Prime Minister by raising a united voice in favour of the farmers and press for repeal of the black laws.
In a statement issued from the party headquarters here on Sunday, Bhagwant Mann said if Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes a U-turn to protect the interests of the ‘annadatas’ by repealing the three black laws on agriculture; this will not diminish his prestige, because in a democracy, governments change their decisions in the public interest.
Bhagwant Mann said that it was clear from the irrationality with which Prime Minister Modi was trying to revolutionize anti-agriculture laws that he was taking blindfolded decisions under the pressure of corporate houses. As a result, the central government sees growth out of ruin, he added. Disagreeing with Prime Minister Modi’s argument, Bhagwant Mann said that he (the Prime Minister) had not taken a tough decision on agricultural laws in the interest of the farmers. On the contrary, it is a dictatorial decision which is anti-farmer and in favor of corporate houses. Therefore, the Prime Minister should withdraw the black laws without any hesitation or further delay and declare legal guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP) on procurement of all crops.
Bhagwant Mann further said that on the one hand, the farmers and laborers were forced to take to the streets in the cold weather and the scorching heat to save their livelihood; on the other hand, in the spirit of revenge, the Modi government has become so adamant that no opportunity is missed to harass Punjab and the farmers. “For example, the Cash Credit Limit (CCL) is rejected before the purchase of crops. The Rural Development Fund to Punjab for Gram Mandis and Link Roads has been discontinued. The supply of bags, urea and DAP fertilizer is suspended. Moisture and discoloration conditions including upper limit are tightened for procurement of paddy,” he said.
He said that by calling arhtiyas as middlemen, they are excluded from the marketing system. Unnecessary conditions are imposed for selling the crop. The latest example of this is the ‘Tughlaqi farman’ on delay of paddy procurement, though the Modi government had to take U-turn on this decision due to political pressure and opposition from the farmers.
Bhagwant Mann said that all such issues should be raised with Prime Minister Modi by the delegation of all political parties in unison and harmony. Therefore, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi should immediately convene an all-party meeting. He said that it would have been better if this pressure had been exerted on the Modi government from the very beginning but the then Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh could not take the all-party delegation to the doorstep of Prime Minister Modi despite his promise. Taking a lesson from this, CM Channi should rise above partisanship and convene an all-party meeting at the earliest.
