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.