In a significant move, the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, unanimously rejected the anti-farmer draft of the National Policy Framework for Agriculture Marketing. CM Mann criticized the draft policy, calling it an attempt to reintroduce the contentious provisions of the three farm laws that were repealed by the Government of India in 2021.
Led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab assembly on Tuesday unanimously rejected the anti-farmers draft of the National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing.
Winding up the debate on the resolution moved by the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian to reject the draft, the Chief Minister said that the state government has already opposed this draft tooth and nail through a written reply which was sent to the Union government. He said that this draft was outrightly rejected by the state government as it is totally against the interests of the state. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that though Prime Minister Narendra Modi boasts a lot about the initiatives taken by his government for food growers by heart he and his government are inimical to farmers, especially from Punjab.
The Chief Minister said that this is why the MSP for the farmers has not been announced by the Prime Minister, who had promised it to the farmers. He said that the Union government is adopting step-motherly treatment with the state largely because the farmers of Punjab had spearheaded a campaign against draconian farm laws after which the Union government had to bow. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the hatred against Punjab is largely because the center had to take back this law, which was an unprecedented action in the last more than 10 years of Modi rule.
The Chief Minister said as per the Constitution, that Agricultural marketing is a State Subject as our founding fathers had realized that these activities depend on the geographical conditions of a region which differ from State to State. Therefore, Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the founding fathers had rightly put this subject in the State list to ensure that policies are made according to the specific needs, conditions, and challenges of a State as they are better positioned to understand the local factors such as crop patterns, the status of infrastructure, region-specific requirements of the farmers and others. He said that framing of this Policy by the Government of India is against the spirit of the Constitution.
The Chief Minister said that for farmers of Punjab, procurement of Wheat and Paddy at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) is the most crucial issue. However, Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the draft Policy is totally silent about this adding that at the time of the farmers' agitation in 2020, one of the main issues was the apprehension of the farmers that the Government of India has the ultimate objective of doing away with procurement of wheat and paddy at MSP. He said that the total absence of any reference to procurement at MSP in this draft Policy has again given rise to the same apprehensions in the minds of the farmers of the State.
The Chief Minister said that this Draft policy is an attempt to bring back the contentious provisions of the three farm laws repealed in 2021 by the Government of India after a long protest by the farmers. He said that since this issue is a State Subject as per the constitution of the Country, the Government of India should not come up with any such policy. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that this subject should be left to the wisdom of the States to frame suitable policies on it as per its concerns and requirements.
The Chief Minister said that this draft will not only be opposed and rejected but the state government will continuously follow it so that the Union government does not succeed in its nefarious designs. He said that the state government has hired the best legal brains to safeguard the interests of the state and no stone will be left unturned for it. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the state government is duty-bound to serve the people of the state and ably secure their rights.
The Chief Minister said that despite our limited natural resources the farmers of the state have put their sweat and toil to make the country self-reliant in food production, that too at the cost of overexploitation of the only available natural resources of the state. He reiterated that the state has no spare water to share with any other state and there is no question of sharing even a single drop of water with anyone. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that as most of the river resources of the state have dried up, so it needs more water to cater to its irrigation needs.