Amarinder Singh backstabbed farmers over agri-related Bills: SAD

The SAD on Thursday hit out at Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh over the issue of farm Bills, alleging his government's “active participation” in framing the legislation.

Shiromani Akali Dal senior leader Daljit Singh Cheema asked the CM to issue a white paper on his “participation” in the meeting of a high-powered committee on agriculture.

“The CM has backstabbed the farming community of Punjab in the meeting of the high-powered committee set up by the Centre,” Cheema alleged while talking to the media here.

He claimed that the CM was trying to “conceal” his “participation” in framing three farm-related legislations.

The CM had rejected the Centre's claim that Punjab was taken on board before the promulgation of three farm-related ordinances, replaced by the Bills in Parliament by the Centre.

Singh had reacted to a statement made in Parliament by Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Raosaheb Patil Danve, that the high-powered committee on agriculture had decided on the ordinances after due consideration by all member states.

Cheema said it was shocking that the CM was now “uttering blatant lies” to “hide” his involvement in supporting the ordinances.

He said not only was the CM a member of the high-powered committee which framed the ordinances but Finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal also attended a meeting of the panel in Mumbai.

“ The Congress-led government also sent a six-page note to the Centre which formed its reaction to the discussion on the ordinances,” he claimed.

“Now that it has been proven beyond doubt that the Congress government had actively participated in the framing of the ordinances, the state government must issue a white paper detailing all the meetings, ministers and officers who had participated in the same,” he said.

“All this is necessary to make it clear to people as to who betrayed them,” said Cheema.

Cheema, a former Punjab minister, claimed that the Congress-led government's response highlighted the need of market reforms and said freeing the agriculture market was the only way farmers could get higher prices for their agricultural produce.

He said the Congress in its manifesto during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls had promised to repeal the Agricultural Produce Market Committee Act and allow free inter-state trade without any restrictions.