Navjot Sidhu & MLAs demand Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh to not amend but scrap farm laws

Punjab Congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu along with some of the MLAs has submitted a charter to CM Amarinder Singh on the issue of the farm laws. Navjot Sidhu has demanded the Chief Minister to dismiss the three new farm laws and not seek any amendments in the laws while calling agriculture a state subject. This comes as the farm laws protestors continue to carry out their agitation against the three farm laws passed in the Parliament last year.

"We submitted a charter to CM Amarinder Singh and also had a discussion with him. We need outright dismissal of Centre's farm laws, not amendments. The state has the right to make laws on agriculture. It is a state subject," Navjot Singh Sidhu said.

Although Navjot Sidhu has put forward his demands of dismissing the Central farm laws, Punjab Government had already passed bills negating Centre’s farm laws in October 2020, pending President Ram Nath Kovind's accent. 

Several other Congress-ruled states such as Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh had passed laws in their respective assemblies to negate the Central farm laws, however, whether or not the state laws can override the laws passed in Parliament is disputed.

Today, 18 MPs from the Opposition have issued a joint statement demanding discussion in both Houses on the issue of Pegasus row and the farm laws.

Farm laws protests

The farm laws protestors have been holding 'Kisan Sansad' (Farmer's parliament) at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. It said to continue till the Monsoon Session of Parliament. 200 protestors are said to visit Jantar Mantar every day and stage demonstrations against the three agrarian laws, while one speaker and one deputy speaker is chosen each day during the protests.

It is pertinent to note that the Central Government has held 12 rounds of deliberations with the agitating farmers and also urged them to hold clause by clause discussions over the farm laws while ruling out the repeal of the farm laws. The protesting farmers and their unions fear that the APMC market system will cease to exist or will weaken with the implementation of new farm laws. The protestors also believe that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanism is also under threat due to the new farm laws. However, to assuage the protesting farmers and to strengthen the APMC markets, the Centre has made APMC Mandis eligible to avail financial support from the Rs 1 lakh crore Agriculture Infrastructure Fund to expand the regulated markets' capacity and provide better facilities to farmers.

The Central Government has stayed the implementation of the farm laws for 18 months. Also, on multiple occasions, the Centre has given assurances that the MSP mechanism will continue even after the implementation of farm laws and it also agreed to give a written assurance. The government also procured the farmers produce in record quantities in the following period, however, the protesting farmers have reiterated the demands of repealing the farm laws. The protesting farmers - majorly from Punjab and some parts of Haryana and UP - have even refused to hold deliberations with the Supreme Court-appointed panel to understand the issue of the farmers with respect to the farm laws.

Congress which had mentioned the implementation of farm reforms in its election manifesto has opposed the farm laws brought by the Centre. Union Ministers on multiple occasions have pointed out the fact that Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh, who has been opposing the farm laws vehemently, was a part of the parliamentary committee which was instrumental in framing the new farm laws before their passage in both Houses of Parliament.