Terming the President’s assent to farm Bills unfortunate and distressing, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday said his government was exploring all options, including possible amendments to State laws, to protect the interests of farmers.
All farmer organisations and other stakeholders would be taken into confidence before taking any decision on the way forward, the Chief Minister said, adding that the State was committed to the procurement of every single grain of farmers without compromising on the pricing. His government was already in consultation with legal and agricultural experts, and all those impacted by the Central government’s legislation, to decide on the future course of action, he said.
Besides legal recourse, his government was looking at other options to scuttle the Centre’s new agriculture laws, said Capt. Amarinder Singh.
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal described as “sad, disappointing and extremely unfortunate” the presidential assent granted to three Bills regarding farmers’ produce and to the Jammu and Kashmir Bill excluding Punjabi as official language of that State.
