Representatives of as many as 31 farmer outfits that are agitating against the Centre’s new agriculture sector legislations on Tuesday met Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh to discuss the way forward to fight the new farm laws.
Farmer outfits announced that they would intensify their agitation from October 1, which will include an indefinite “rail roko ” (‘stop trains’) protest; the social boycott of political leaders whose parties have not opposed the “anti-farmer legislations” and sit-in protests outside their residences.
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Asserting that the Centre had no right to enact these laws as it amounted to the violation of the Constitution and an attack on the federal structure, the Chief Minister said his government shared the concerns of the farmers and would do whatever it took to scuttle the Union government’s “attempt to ruin the farming community with these legislations”. Captain Amarinder said he would take the suggestions of the farmers’ unions to legal experts to finalise the next course of action.
The Chief Minister said he would be discussing the issue with his legal team to finalise the next steps, including challenging the farm laws in the Supreme Court.
“We will take all possible steps to counter the Union government’s assault on the State’s federal and Constitutional rights, and fight for the interests of the farmers,” Captain Amarinder assured the farmers’ representatives. If legal experts advised amendments to the State laws to fight the Central laws, a special session of the State Assembly would be immediately called to do so, he said.
The Punjab CM made it clear that the government had no qualms about convening an Assembly session if that was the best course under the circumstances. However, he dismissed the Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal’s demand for a special Assembly session as cheap gimmickry after the party’s active support of Central laws for months.
“It was clear that the Akalis, led by Sukhbir Badal, had been wholeheartedly supporting the farm Ordinances throughout, and only backed out once their position in Punjab became untenable amid widespread angst among the farmers. If they were so concerned about the farmers’ interests, why did Harsimrat Badal not resign from the Union Cabinet the moment the farm Ordinances were brought in by the Centre,” he quipped.
Jagmohan Singh, general secretary, Bhartaiya Kisan Union (Dakaunda), said farmers were all set to intensify their agitation from October 1. “We have decided to stop railway traffic indefinitely from October 1 across the State. We will socially boycott those political leaders and representatives whose parties have not opposed these anti-farmers legislations. We will stage dharnas outside the residences of BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) leaders.”
“Also, resolutions will be passed by the gram sabha of each village to cancel the agriculture Bills. Apart from this, we have decided to start a campaign to boycott products of corporate houses that we believe have a big hand in getting the farm legislations passed by the Central government,” he said.
