Contentious Farm Laws: CM insensitive about peasants’ ore concerns : Harpal Singh Cheema

Chandigarh : Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab senior leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Harpal Singh Cheema on Friday alleged that Chief Minister Amarinder Singh was maintaining double standards over the Centre’s agriculture laws, adding that scared of the relentless farmers’ struggle backed by the people of Punjab from all walks of life, the government was indulging in enacting political theatrics to mislead the hassled community.Addressing a press conference here in Chandigarh on Friday, Harpal Singh Cheema termed the one-day session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha convened by the Punjab government on October 19, as nothing but a mere eyewash. He said the government should have extended the special session to at least 7 days keeping in view the seriousness of the sensitive issue involving the future of the ‘annadata’ of the country.Cheema reiterated that the AAP had been crying hoarse on convening a joint meeting of all political parties, agronomists, farmers’ organizations and all other stakeholders/ sections of the society ahead of the special session so that a unanimously taken decision could be put across in the Assembly to annul the dreaded laws and offering a protective cover to the farmers. He slammed the government saying that it was running away from the farmers and the opposition. He said that the corruption-riddled Raja Amarinder Singh Government was playing pawn to the Modi government to camouflage its failings and foibles.Cheema said that the Chief Minister was trying to mislead the people of the state, especially farmers, only to appease the Modi government at the centre.
Cheema said that had it (Punjab government) been serious about the point at issue, all the political parties and farmers’ organizations would have aware of what legislative steps the government was going to take during the special Assembly session to save Punjab and its agriculture from the far-reaching impact of the centre’s black laws. He alleged till today (Friday) no agenda to be discussed had been made available to AAP, the principal opposition by behalf of the government, adding it should have been sent to all political parties and farmers’ organizations and other stakeholders as well.Cheema on the occasion said that the non-seriousness of the government was more pronounced, saying that like the previous special session of Vidhan Sabha held on August 28, this session was nothing more than a mere eye-wash. Expressing his surprise, Cheema said that the resolution duly passed in that session to repeal the black laws was passed, saying it was kept under the wraps for 18 days, instead of sending it to the Union Government immediately, and was sent a day before the black Bills was due to be presented in Parliament. LoP questioned the recent pseudo tractor rally staged Rahul Gandhi organised under the supervision of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, saying that instead of indulging in political circus to earn some brownie points, he (Chief Minister) should have met Prime Minister or the Union Agriculture Minister on the issue stressing for abrogation on the anti-farmer laws, as he had promised to lead a delegation to the all-party meeting in this regard.Cheema slammed the government for not allowing the media to cover the special session from the Assembly Press Gallery and selecting Punjab Bhawan citing the scare of the Corona pandemic for the purpose, saying it was done under a deep-rooted conspiracy. Cheema also demanded live telecast of the entire Assembly proceedings.State General Secretary Harchand Singh Bursat on the occasion said that Raja Amarinder Singh, who posed himself to be the farmers’ champion, stood exposed on the issue of the draconian laws being implemented in the country through brute force to eliminate the ‘annadata’ from the scene, adding that AAP would allow this to happen under any situation.