Punjab CM was in draft panel, favoured farm bills: Union Minister exposes Congress U-turn

Amid the protest by Congress over the farm reform laws, a startling revelation has come to light that will invalidate the party's opposition to the farm laws. Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, a Congress leader who has been staunchly protesting against the farm reform laws was part of a committee which studied the draft legislation, Union Minister Rao Saheb Danve said on Saturday.

He said the Captain Amarinder Singh led Punjab government was in favour of the bills. However, Congress has been vociferously opposing the new reform laws now. 

Danve, Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food and Public Distribution, asserted that before tabling the three bills in Parliament, there were extensive consultations with all stakeholders adding that while there was some opposition to the bills for 'political purposes', the Punjab CM was in favour of the bills.

"These bills were not brought by the BJP alone. A committee of chief ministers, including Punjab CM Amarinder Singh, deliberated on them. The opposition parties had had their say on the bills," Danve said while addressing media.

He added that the Punjab government was in favour of the bills as farmers there were paying 8.5% tax while selling their produce in the state.

The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2020 became law after being passed in both houses of Parliament followed by the presidential assent last week.

Amarinder Singh has been vehemently opposing the laws and held protests in Punjab against them. Congress after massive protests across the country in two last weeks has now started a three day march 'Kheti Bachao Yatra' starting from Sunday. The Yatra will start from Moga and protest march is said to culminate in Delhi via various districts of Punjab and Haryana, as per reports. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is also said to participate in the Yatra and address the protestors. Congress President Sonia Gandhi had also advised Congress-ruled states (Punjab, Chhatisgarh and Rajasthan) to explore ways to refuse the implementation of the new agriculture laws.

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Opposition vs Centre on Farm laws

While the opposition, especially Congress is hell-bent on portraying the farm laws as anti farmers by contending that the new laws will remove the concept of minimum support price (MSP) and will also abolish the APMC Mandis system, the Centre has repeatedly assured that the MSP mechanism will continue to exist in the new reform laws as well, however, the new laws will give the farmers freedom to sell their produce outside of the Mandis as against the earlier compulsion to sell only through Mandis, which led to corruption and less revenue to farmers. Moreover, farmers will also have the option to sell through Mandis if they wish too, the Centre has assured.

With the new laws, the farmers will also have the option to sell directly to private sector entities without being dependent on the middlemen and APMC regulators where the root of corruption lies, while the Congress said that the entry of private entities into farm sector will lead to the farmers being at the mercy of the corporates.

(With PTI inputs)

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