Dr Daljit Singh Cheema also asks Jakhar to protest and demand roll back of extra burden put on farmers by Rs 2.70 per liter increase in State VAT on diesel
Asks Jakhar to accept challenge and resign from his post in case next paddy crop is procured at MSP
Says Punjab AAP handing over representations to Speaker at the bidding of the Cong
Chandigarh, June 17, 2020: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today asked Pradesh Congress President Sunil Jakhar to do a ‘jan andolan’ against chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh who had amended the State Agriculture Produce Markets Act (APMC) in 2017 to include all the provisions of the Farming Produce Trade and Commerce Ordinance 2020 which had been passed by the centre recently. It also challenged the PCC chief to resign his post if the next paddy crop was procured as per msp in the State.
Asking the Pradesh Congress President to tell why he was trying to befool the farmers, former minister Dr Daljit Singh Cheema asked him to explain why he was hiding the fact that the Congress government had amended the State APMC Act in August, 2017 to allow creation of private yards, permission for e trading and permission for direct marketing. He said this was not all. “The Congress government is also party to passing of the Farming Produce Ordinance. It participated in the consultative process and also gave feedback to the centre that it had already amended the State APMC Act to enable implementation of the proposed Ordinance”.
Dr Daljit Cheema said Sunil Jakhar should spell out if the amendment of the State APMC Act by his government was right or wrong. “If he feels it was an anti-farmer step he should start his jan andolan from the chief minister’s residence in Chandigarh and force the government to take it back”.
He also advised the Pradesh Congress President to look into the immediate problems being faced by the farmers of Punjab. “This includes the extra burden of Rs 2.70 per liter increase in State VAT on diesel which has come at a time when farmers are busy trying to sow their kharif crops against all odds. Shouldn’t you be protesting against this and demand a roll back if you are really interested about the welfare of farmers?” Dr Cheema asked Jakhar.
The SAD leader also asked the PCC chief not to try to befool the farmers. “MSP and assured marketing are here to stay. The SAD will ensure this at all costs. We have already announced that there will not be any compromise on these issues. The new APMC Act also provides adequate, inbuilt and foolproof guarantees for the continuation of msp and assured marketing regime on a long term basis. If the Pradesh Congress President does not believe so I challenge him to resign from his post in case the next paddy crop is procured in its entirety in the State as per the msp announced by the central government”.
Speaking about a recent drama done by the Punjab AAP unit led by Harpal Singh Cheema, the former minister said the AAP leaders were handing over representations to the Speaker as per the dictates of the Congress government. He said the AAP Punjab leadership had sold itself to the Congress party and was now working as per the orders of the latter. He said instead of acting like the B team of the Congress party the Punjab AAP leadership should suggest improvements if any which were needed in the Farming Produce Ordinance.