Published 19:09 IST, February 21st 2021
'Remarks on Farm Laws mischievously taken out of context,' says Punjab CM
Amarinder Singh had submitted his speech for the meeting of NITI Aayog chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday after being indisposed.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday came down heavily on NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar, refuting the latter's comments over the body's sixth Governing Council virtual meeting.
The Punjab CM had submitted his speech for the sixth Governing Council virtual meeting of Niti Aayog chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday after being "indisposed" and failing to attend the meeting. In his address, he reportedly asked PM Modi to ensure an urgent resolution to the ongoing farmers' unrest and had also demanded an early release of the State's pending GST compensation. The senior Congress leader also proposed for States to be consulted before deciding the priority list for COVID-19 vaccination.
“Calling for the fullest respect for the annadaata, the Chief Minister, through his speech, submitted for the virtual meeting of the Niti Aayog, reiterated his government’s stand that agriculture is a state subject and law-making on it should be left to the States in the true spirit of “cooperative federalism” enshrined in the Constitution,” the Punjab government said in the statement.
However, a day after his address, NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar clarified that no one spoke about Farm Laws in the meet and that only reforms in the agricultural sector were discussed. Citing his speech on the Farm Laws, the Punjab CM refuted Kumar's statements.
Amarinder Singh refutes reports
Moreover, he also rejected the 'misinterpretation’ of his remarks on the extension of the proposed suspension of the Farm Laws saying that it was 'mischievously taken out of context' to give the wrong impression on his stance. In his pre-recorded address, the CM had vouched for extending the proposed period of suspension of the reforms.
Stating that his proposition was based on the inputs and feedbacks that he had received from the farmers he said, "From what I understand is that some of the farmers are agreeable to the laws being put on hold for 18 months but may go up to 24 months."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday chaired the NITI Aayog's Governing Council meeting where he asserted that the Centre and States needed to work more closely to boost economic growth. PM Modi had also hailed the Union Budget 2021 and the response it has received from the citizens, saying that it has expressed the mood of the country.
(With Agency Inputs)
Updated 19:09 IST, February 21st 2021