Chandigarh: Making it clear that his government was totally opposed to the Centre’s Farm Laws, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Thursday urged the central government to standby farmers and repel the laws.
He exhorted Modi not to bring in ego and prestige but immediately scrap the legislation and bring in new laws after fresh discussions on the issue with the farmers.
The Chief Minister also declared that “we will go to the Supreme Court if the President does not given assent to the State Amendment Bills”, which unfortunately the Governor is still sitting on instead of forwarding them for presidential approval, he said, “even though the Vidhan Sabha had unanimously passed the Bills, with all parties voting for them.
It was tragic, however, that the Akalis and AAP had later started playing political games on the issue, he added.
Addressing mediapersons on the completion of four years of his government, Capt Amarinder declared that he could not see any middle path to break the stalemate between the farmers and the Union Government. The Centre should scrap the Farm Laws, sit with the farmers and make new legislations in their place, he said.
“What’s the use of making it a prestige issue?,” he remarked, asking the Centre, “How many more farmers do you want to kill (with your adamant stand)?” There are poor farmers sitting out there, with women and elderly, he pointed out, adding that Punjab alone has lost 112 farmers’ lives since the agitation began. “The Constitution has been amended more than 100 times in the past, so why can it not be done again to scrap these laws?,” he asked.
