The states of Punjab and Haryana have been witnessing a series of violent clashes and protests ever since the Centre passed the three farmers bills in the Indian Parliament recently. The agitation and anger among the farmers has been constant and the pressure on Punjab’s Amrinder Singh run government was such that it was even forced to cut off its ties with the BJP over the farmers’ issue. In a latest development from the state of Punjab, Amarinder Singh has passed four bills to negate the farm laws recently passed by the Centre.
The legislations have been supported and appreciated by the Opposition parties including parties like the SAD, AAP and the MLAs of the Lok Insaaf Party. The BJP has not taken part in the proceedings.
The bills introduced in the Punjab assembly have been trying to amend the Farmers Produce Facilitation Act, the Farmers Agreement and Farm Services Act, the Essential Commodities Act and the Civil Procedure Code.
The three bills with which the Punjab assembly has tried to negate the farmers’ bills produced by the Centre try to protect the farmer and ensure that the farmer is given the minimum support price for the crops at any cost, that farming agreements are made as fair as possible and hoarding in all forms is prevented along with the malaise of black marketing of agricultural produce.
In an interaction with journalists after the session of the assembly where the CM Amarinder Singh led government introduced the three bills, the chief minister said that the copies of the resolution have also been sent to the Governor of the state for his approval.
He also said that the bills that have ben introduced by his government were nothing but a step towards the curbing of damages done by the Centre’s onslaught on the farming community through the introduction of the three bills. Captain Amarinder Singh is reported to have said, “The Bills(Farm Bills) have become an Act at the Parliament but Vidhan Sabha unanimously rejected those Acts. We’ve adopted a resolution and have come here together. We gave codes of the resolution to the Governor and requested him to approve it. It first goes to Governor, then to President. If it doesn’t happen then we have legal methods too. I hope the Governor approaches it because it is unanimous.”
He also said that he had taken an appointment from the President Ram Nath Kovind and was scheduled to meet him between November 2-5.
We know that farming communities in Haryana and Punjab have been the mos vocal amount their protest against the bills that were recently passed by the Indian Parliament and the pressure built by the farmers on the government especially in the state of Punjab seems to have worked in their favour, as the government was forced to introduce three new bills to counter the farmers’ bill that had been introduced by the Centre. It will be interesting to see how the state of Punjab takes the demands of the farming community ahead and what its staunch opposition of the bills brought in by the Centre holds for the future of its relationship and dynamics with the Central government.
