Centre’s agri marketing reforms attack on federal structure: Capt

The chief minister says changes could pave the way for disbanding minimum support price regime and foodgrain procurement system, triggering unrest among farmers in state

CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday rejected the “so-called” agricultural marketing reforms approved by the Centre two days ago, dubbing them as yet another brazen attempt to erode the federal structure of the country.

The CM warned that these changes could pave the way for disbanding the minimum support price (MSP) regime as well as the foodgrain procurement system, triggering unrest among the state’s farmers. “The present system has been working successfully for almost 60 years. We will not allow this. Agriculture is a state subject. This is encroachment of federal structure. We will challenge it,” he told reporters at a press conference held via video-conferencing.

Amarinder said the Centre’s habit of taking sudden decisions and forcing them on states, without taking their views into account, was violative of the federal framework.

The Union cabinet had on Wednesday given its approval to three ordinances to remove cereals, pulses, oilseeds, onion and potato from the list of essential commodities and also allow the farmers to sell their produce directly or through e-trading to buyers of their choice, instead of remaining confined to mandis.

Amarinder, in his first reaction to these changes, strongly opposed the move, stating that if farmers from several other states start coming to mandis in Punjab to sell their produce because of better price, where the local farmers would go? “The fees collected by the mandi board from procurement are used for constructing link roads and other development works. These will be affected,” he said.

The CM said that Punjab would fight any steps to weaken the federal structure of the country through such direct and detrimental interference in the well-established agriculture produce marketing system of the state. “The Centre has no powers to make any legislation to deal with the dynamics of agricultural production, marketing and processing,” he later added in a statement, describing the Farming Produce, Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020, as a “highly ill-conceived” move.

KISHOR WILLING TO WORK WITH CONG

Amarinder said that (political strategist) Prashant Kishor had expressed willingness to work with the Congress for the 2022 state assembly polls in Punjab. “Kishor and I are very close. He is like a family member. I talked to Kishor and he said he will be quite happy to come and help,” he said, denying reports that the political strategist had turned down the Congress request to help shape its poll campaign.

The CM said he had discussed the matter with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who left the decision (on Kishor) to him. “Before talking to Kishor, I took the party MLAs into confidence and 55 of the 80 legislators are in favour of bringing him in,” he said.

Amarinder further said that Kishor also denied being in any talks with Congress MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu for his entry into the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). “Sidhu is very much a part of the Congress and has been in touch with the party leadership,” he said.

Political circles have been abuzz with talk of Kishor approaching Sidhu, who quit the state cabinet last year following differences with the CM, to join the AAP. Both Sidhu and Kishor have kept mum so far.

‘KEEN TO CONTEST 2022 POLLS’

The two-time CM also reiterated his intention to contest the next assembly polls, but said the decision on leading the party rested with the Congress president. He had earlier called the 2017 battle his last election.

SIT TO PROBE ILLICIT LIQUOR TRADE

The CM also announced the constitution of a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the illicit sale and smuggling of liquor during the lockdown period.

The three-member SIT will be headed by water resources minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, he said in response to a query.

Agreeing that such largescale illicit sale of liquor and smuggling from other states could not have been possible without the involvement of some insiders, Amarinder promised action against all those involved.

“Liquor was sold illegally during curfew. I have got a report on all illegalities committed by liquor vends and distilleries,” he said, waving a sheaf of papers.

On the seed scam, he said there were clear indications that spurious seeds were sold.

“The PAU had produced nearly 3,000 quintals of PR 128 and 129 varieties of paddy seed on trial basis, whereas 30,000 quintals had been sold in the open market to farmers by unscrupulous dealers. This clearly indicated that spurious seeds were also mixed to these new varieties to fleece innocent farmers,” he said, adding that the SIT headed by an ADGP-level officer would get to the bottom of the scam.

› The present system has been working successfully for almost 60 years. We will not allow this. Agriculture is a state subject. We will challenge it.

CAPT AMARINDER SINGH, CM