Chandigarh: On the first day of the special Assembly session convened to counter the Centre’s farm laws, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday led the House in paying homage to all farmers who have lost their lives during the ongoing agitation in protest against the Narendra Modi government’s “draconian” agricultural laws.
The House was adjourned for an hour after paying tributes to Shaurya Chakra awardee Balwinder Singh Sandhu of Tarn Taran, lance naik Karnail Singh, besides freedom fighters Mahinder Singh, Sardar Singh, Rai Singh Patanga and Hemraj Mittal, who passed away recently. The session resumed around noon but was adjourned for the day after adopting a resolution to extend the duration of the special session by a day.
The Punjab Cabinet on Sunday authorised Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh to introduce the Bill to counter the Centre’s three “anti-farmers” agri laws. It would be presented in the House for approval later. The CM had earlier announced that his government will fight the “anti-federal“ and “vicious“ farm laws tooth and nail through legislative, legal and other routes. He had said some days ago that he would call a special session of the Assembly to bring in necessary amendments to the state laws to “negate the dangerous impact of the central legislations, which are designed to ruin the farmers as well as the state’s agriculture and economy”.
Earlier in the day, the Shiromani Akali Dal and two Congress’ Members of the Assembly rode tractors to the Assembly but were stopped by police at a roundabout near the Assembly complex. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs came to the Assembly on bicycles wearing black capes. Ahead of the start of Governor’s address, Akali Dal MLAs led by Bikram Singh Majithia raised slogans of “go back Governor” over the farm Bills. The Opposition members questioned the Governor for "not sending the amendments" passed by the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on the farm Bills to the President. As many as 40 Congress MLAs, including Navjot Singh Sidhu and Pargat Singh, were present in the House. The Akalis raised slogans as the Governor began his address.
The AAP MLAs staged a dharna in the Well of the House, demanding copies of the Bill against the farm laws to be tabled in the Assembly. SAD leader Bikram Majithia told reporters that they chose a tractor as a vehicle associated with farmers to mark their protest against the farm laws. Before going into the House, Akalis burnt copies of farm laws outside the Assembly.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Congress’s chief Sunil Jakhar said the Punjab Assembly should pass a unanimous resolution condemning the humiliating treatment meted out to the farmers representatives by the Modi government. “In doing so BJP has insulted not just the farming community but Punjab itself,” he said in a tweet.
