Farmers’ protest | Punjab CM urges farmers for peaceful R-Day event

Calls upon Centre to heed the troubled voice of farming community in the true spirit of Indian Republic

January 25, 2021 06:06 pm | Updated 06:07 pm IST - CHANDIGARH

Punjab CM Amarinder Singh. File

Punjab CM Amarinder Singh. File

Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh on Monday appealed to farmers to ensure that the Republic Day event remained peaceful, just as their anti-farm law protests had been so far. He urged the Union government once again to heed the troubled voice of the farming community in the true spirit of the Indian Republic.

“Peace has been the hallmark of your [farmers’] democratic protests all these months, and should remain integral to your agitation in the days ahead, including the Republic Day Tractor Rally into the national capital,” said the Chief Minister, in his Republic Day eve message.

“The sight of your tractors on Delhi roads will underline the fact that the ethos of the Indian Constitution and the essence of our Republic are inalienable and uncompromisable,” he said. “Farmers’ arduous battle for survival will always remind us of this truth, and it will always help us remember [lest we forget], that the principles on which stands the edifice of the India we know, and our forefathers strove to build, cannot be destroyed or demolished on the whims of a few.”

Capt. Singh lamented that the federal structure on which India’s polity was founded was facing one of its biggest threats under the present Indian regime. The brazen manner in which the three farm laws were pushed through, without debate or discussion, could not, and should not be accepted in the world’s largest democracy. The Centre had absolutely no power to legislate on a State subject, which agriculture was, and the implementation of the farm laws violated every principle of Constitution and the federal structure it stood for, he added.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.