Sukhbir opposes bills in LS: ‘It’ll destroy 50 years of hard work’
CHANDIGARH : Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday opposed the two farm bills that came up for discussion in the Lok Sabha, saying they go against Punjab’s 20 lakh farmers, 30 lakh farm labourers, 30,000 arhtiyas and 3 lakh mandi labourers. He said the proposed laws will “destroy” the 50 years of hard work done by successive Punjab governments to build the farm sector.
He recalled Punjab’s massive contribution in making India self-sufficient in food grain production as he vehemently opposed the bills. He also announced in the House that Union food processing minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal will resign from the government, which she did in the evening.
Sukhbir, who had earlier opposed the bill to amend Essential Commodities Act, was on Thursday participating in the debate on the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion And Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill. The two bills were taken up together for discussion in the Lok Sabha.
On Tuesday, he had opposed amendment in Essential Commodities Act. “Our party was not consulted before the ordinances were framed. The centre erred grievously in not taking stakeholders on board,” Sukhbir said.
“Some states are industrialised, some are tourism intensive, some have information technology industries, while Punjab depends on agriculture. We have focused on agriculture because there was time when our country was fighting hunger. The state accounts for just 2.5% land of the country, but we contributed up to 80% of food requirement in the 1980s and now our contribution is 50%,” he said.
“We are a party of farmers and if they are apprehensive, we will stand with them,” he said, adding that if the bills were passed, the purchase of food grain will be monopolised by the corporates.