Chandigarh, Jan 8 Former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Friday asked Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to tell Punjabis how long would he wait before exercising legal options to ensure that the three agricultural Bills, passed unanimously in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha 80 days back to counter the ill-effects of the Central farm laws, are forwarded to the President for assent by the state Governor.
"Going by the current scenario, you seem to have even forgotten that you had initiated the move to get the three Bills passed in the state Assembly in the same manner in which a resolution rejecting the erstwhile farm Ordinances was also passed, but never forwarded them to the centre," Harsimrat Badal told the Chief Minister in a statement.
She said the go slow policy adopted by the Chief Minister on pursuing the three Bills, whose implementation would put Punjab out of the purview of the anti-Punjab and anti-farmer Central agricultural laws, clearly indicates that he is purposefully delaying action on the issue.
"The recent manner in which you have bent over backwards to please the Central government and even registered attempt to murder cases against Punjabis speaking out against Punjab BJP leaders gives credence to reports that you are being remote controlled by the Union Home Ministry for reasons best known to you," she said.
Asking the Chief Minister not to adopt double standards on this crucial issue which concerned the future of the peasantry of Punjab, Kaur said, "You should spell out what legal options you have taken since the last 80 days to ensure justice is done to the farmers of Punjab in the case. If you have done nothing, which is the case, you should explain why you have failed the farmers of Punjab yet again."
The former Union minister also pointed out that the Chief Minister could not wait endlessly for the Governor, who was sitting on the Bills and not referring them to the President, and still brazenly claim that the Central laws had not been implemented in Punjab.
She said the truth of the matter is already there before the people. "Your food and civil supplies minister admitted in a press conference that outsiders would be allowed to sell their produce in Punjab with the implementation of the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020 in the state.
"Your government also amended the APMC Act in 2017 which contains all the provisions of the three Central farm laws. In such a situation, you need to come clean and tell Punjabis why you are not taking any concrete steps to get the three Bills passed by the Vidhan Sabha implemented," she added.
( With inputs from IANS )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor