'Must do more': Sidhu writes to Amarinder Singh; urges him to fulfill farmers' demands

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) President Navjot Singh Sidhu on Sunday wrote to Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, urging him to fulfill the demands raised by the farmer unions in the meeting convened by the party in Chandigarh on September 10. Pointing out that the party has always stood by the farmers and supported them in their endeavors, Navjot Singh Sidhu urged Amarinder Singh to cancel the 'unjust and unfair' FIRs filed against them and demanded his support in the fight against different rules for APMC and private markets, and also the 'three black laws'. 

Navjot Singh Sidhu writes to Amarinder Singh

In the letter, Navjot Singh Sidhu 'brought to the attention and requested for necessary action', upon the demands raised by 32 farmer unions. Underlining that the Congress and the state government have provided support to farmers protesting against the Centre’s farm laws, Sidhu said, “Yet, some FIRs have been registered due to untoward incidences,” adding that the government could set up a mechanism to consider each case on compassionate grounds and cancel all “unfair” cases.

Secondly, in the letter, the PPCC President raised before the Chief Minister the fear of the farmers of the Central government asking for the land records before crop procurement. "This is also an attack on the resilient system of procurement by MSP through Arthiyas and pushes farmers away from APMC Mandis towards Private Markets where no such records are demanded," Sidhu wrote, emphasising that the government must fight the Central government's attempt to make 'one nation, two markets'. 

'Must do more for farmers'  

Pointing out the work of the Punjab Congress in favour of the farmers, which included increased budget allotment, Navjot Singh Sidhu highlighted before Amarinder Singh that there was, however, a need to do more. Citing the resolution passed by the party in Vidhan Sabha in October 2020, he added,"We not let the three black laws be implemented at our state at any cost.

“We must take steps ahead from the farmer agitation’s fight against the three black laws to do more and present the vision for Punjab agriculture, to increase Punjab’s farmers’ income using every resource and power we have as a state to stand with the farmers,” Navjot Singh Sidhu wrote.

The PPCC President pitched the idea of beginning to procure dals and oilseeds through state corporations. He further suggested investing in diversification-giving MSP on more crops, giving storage capacity in hands of farmers, and strengthening farmer’s financial capabilities through cooperatives and forward linkages to trade without dependence on corporates. 

(With inputs from PTI)