Chandigarh: Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu alleged Sunday that even after the rollback of the three ‘black’ farm laws, the Centre’s ‘sinister’ plan to end assured price, food security for the poor, government procurement and public distribution system will continue. He also took on the BJP-led Centre, saying there had been no word from it on framing a law to guarantee the minimum support price (MSP) for crops.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Friday that the government had decided to repeal the three farm laws.
Sidhu said, “Today, as we rejoice in our victory against the Centre’s three black laws… Our real work has just begun. The Centre’s sinister plan to end MSP, end food security for the poor, end government procurement and end PDS will continue without the farm laws. It will be now hidden and more dangerous.”
In another tweet, the former cricketer said, “The Centre’s design to give procurement, storage and retail to private capital is still ongoing. No word by the Centre for MSP legalisation. We are back to June 2020. Small farmers need Punjab government’s support to protect them from corporate takeover – Punjab Model is the only way.”
Sidhu had dubbed Modi’s announcement of repealing the three farm laws a ‘step in the right direction’, but had also stressed the MSP was a bigger issue than the farm laws.
Farmers have been camping at the Delhi’s three borders since November 2020 with the demand that the government repeal the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
They have also been demanding a new law to guarantee the minimum support price (MSP) for crops.