Scrap 3 laws, talk to farmers for solution: Amarinder to Centre

CHANDIGARH: As farmers protested to mark one year of the farm laws, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday demanded the immediate scrapping of the legislation by the Centre and called for detailed discussions with farmers to find a way forward.

Claiming that many farmers had died in these protests, the chief minister said it was high time the Centre withdrew the three laws in their interest.

The chief minister, wearing a #nofarmers_nofood badge, was inaugurating the 3rd state-level virtual Kisan Mela organised by Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. The two-day mela is centered on the theme: ‘Karie parali di sambhal, dharti maa hove khushhal’, in line with the state government’s focus on eliminating crop stubble burning.

“Till date, the Indian Constitution has been amended 127 times, so why can it not be amended once again to scrap the farm laws and resolve the imbroglio resulting from them,” asked the chief minister. “What is the problem in doing it a 128th time,” he demanded to know from the Bharatiya Janata Party (Bjp)-led Narendra Modi government at the Centre.

Says protest democratic right of farmers

Recalling that he had been asked by the Centre to stop Punjab’s farmers from going to Delhi last November, the chief minister said he had refused to do so, as protest is the democratic right of farmers. “Why should they not protest? How can I stop them?” he asked.

Capt Amarinder said Punjab, with only 1.53% of total geographical area of India, produces about 18% of the country’s wheat, 11% paddy, 4.4% cotton and 10% milk. For the past many decades, Punjab has been contributing about 35-40% of wheat and 25-30% of rice to the central pool, he said.

The CM pointed out that the state had attained a record wheat productivity (5188 kg/ha) and production (182.6 lakh tonnes) during 2018-19.