Repeal of laws only way out of crisis: Punjab cabinet
The Punjab council of ministers on Thursday said nothing short of a repeal of the three farm laws enacted by the Centre would resolve the crisis posed by a 50-day-old farmers’ protest against the legislation, which it described as anti-farmers, anti-nation and anti-food security.
Declaring unequivocally that a repeal of the farm laws was the only way out of the current imbroglio, the state cabinet, at a meeting presided over by chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh, also demanded that the Centre declare minimum support prices ( MSPS) for their produce a statutory right of farmers. The cabinet
CHANDIGARH:
passed a resolution to the effect and issued a statement.
Farmers have been getting extremely low prices for their produce despite being responsible for feeding the nation, the cabinet said. “The central government is out of touch with the ground realities,” Singh said.
Farmers are demanding a repeal of three laws, whose implementation has been put on hold by the Supreme Court, as well as a legal guarantee for federally fixed MSPS. The laws remove restrictions on the purchase and sale of farm produce, lift constraints on stockpiling under the 1955 Essential Commodities Act, and enable contract farming based on written agreements.
Farmers say the laws will hurt
livelihoods, erode their bargaining power and leave them at the mercy of powerful agribusinesses. Tens of thousands of famers have massed at the borders of Delhi since November 26 in the bitter winter chill to protest against the legislation passed in September.
The Punjab cabinet asserted that the state government would take measures to protect its and its farmers’ interests. At the start of the meeting, the council of ministers observed two minutes’ silence in memory of farmers who have died during the protest. An estimated 78 farmers have so far lost their lives.
Stressing the need for an early resolution of the protest to prevent the loss of more lives, the cabinet pointed out that the matter had already been debated and discussed in eight rounds of negotiations between the farmers’ unions and the Centre.
Pointing out that even the Supreme Court had acknowledged the concerns of the protesting farmers, and had recognised their pain and anguish, the cabinet said the Centre should not stand on prestige and ego on the matter, which, if unresolved, could lead to devastating repercussions for the country for decades to come. “If the Centre can make sweeping amendments to the laws, then this adamancy about not revoking the legislations is inexplicable,” said the ministers said.
The cabinet reiterated its commitment to the resolutions passed by the Punjab assembly on August 28 and October 20 stressing that all the genuine demands of the farmers must be accepted. Urging the central government to “repeal the farm laws as agriculture is a state subject under the Constitution of India, and to make MSP a statutory right.” It welcomed the Supreme Court’s stay on the contentious laws.
THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS PASSED A RESOLUTION DEMANDING THAT CENTRE DECLARE MINIMUM SUPPORT PRICES A RIGHT OF THE FARMERS