Punjab Assembly passes resolution against Centre's draft agriculture marketing policy

Chandigarh, Feb 25 (PTI) The Punjab Assembly Tuesday passed a resolution against the Centre's draft National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing while describing it as an attempt to bring back the three farm laws repealed by the Union government in 2021.

Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian moved the resolution in the House on the concluding day of the two-day session. Two BJP MLAs Ashwani Kumar and Jangilal Mahajan were not present in the House when the resolution was passed.

The Centre had last year shared the draft of the National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing with the state government for its views on it.

According to the draft policy, it aims to "build a vibrant marketing ecosystem in the country wherein farmers of all categories find a market of their choice to realise the best price for their produce".

The resolution said, "The House feels that this draft policy is an attempt to bring back the contentious provisions of the three farm laws repealed in 2021 by the Government of India after a long protest by the farmers".

"The House further feels that since this issue is a state subject as per the Constitution of the country, the Government of India should not come up with any such policy and should leave it to the wisdom of the states to frame suitable policies on the subject as per its concerns and requirements," it said.

It stated that the assembly recommends to the Government of Punjab to take a firm stand on this issue so that the thriving Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) mandis in the state can be protected and strengthened.

The resolution recommended that the issue be taken up with the government so that no further transgressions happen in the legislative domain of the states. The broad spirit of the policy is to "promote" private markets and to significantly dilute the APMC mandis to eventually make them irrelevant, it said.

"As of now, farmers are able to sell their produce in the APMC markets in a totally transparent manner and under a well-established regulatory regime which ensures that the interests of the farmers are safeguarded.

"With the coming in of private markets, APMC markets will be destroyed. Thereafter, the farmers will be at the mercy of the owners of the private markets," it said.

Participating in a debate on the resolution, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said his government has already rejected this draft policy.

"We will not allow the rights of the states to be robbed," he said while slamming the Centre over the issue of withholding Punjab's rural development fund.

Mann slammed the BJP government at the Centre for allegedly meting out "stepmotherly" treatment to Punjab, thereby trying to "jeopardise" the development and progress of the state.

The Centre leaves no stone unturned to defame Punjab and the recent landing of US planes with deportees in Amritsar despite the fact that most of them were from other states is an example of it, the chief minister alleged.

Illegal immigration was not only a problem for Punjab but a national issue. However it was being projected that Punjab is severely affected by illegal immigration and only Punjabis were being deported from the US, Mann claimed. The Punjab chief minister accused the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre of continuously trying to "weaken" the federal structure of the country by usurping the rights of the state.

Expressing concern over the "corporatization" of politics, he alleged the Union government has become a "puppet" in the hands of affluent businessmen, who are being extended largesse.

Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa slammed the Centre for bringing the draft agriculture marketing policy and accused the BJP of being "anti-Punjab". It wanted to "weaken us" politically and economically, he claimed.

"It (BJP) is a party of multinationals and traders," he further alleged.

Speaking on the issue of withholding the rural development fund, Bajwa asked the AAP government to fight against the BJP for the cause of Punjab.

"I want to appeal to you that we should come together. Except for the BJP, take other parties as well. Why don't we hold a 'dharna' outside the residence of the prime minister? You lead it. Ask the CM to lead, we are ready to support the cause of Punjab. Why don't we fight together? We should tell the country that we must stand up against BJP's 'goondagardi' (hooliganism)," he said.

Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali too supported the resolution and termed the BJP dispensation at the Centre "anti-farmer".

With the draft agriculture marketing policy, the Centre wants to "destroy" the well-established mandi system and hand over the agricultural marketing to private players, the SAD MLA alleged.

Notably, the Punjab government last month rejected the Centre's draft policy on agricultural marketing, asserting that it is an attempt to bring back the "contentious" provisions of the three farms laws repealed in 2021 by the Centre after a year-long protest by farmers.

Farmers have been demanding that the Punjab government reject the draft policy by bringing a resolution against it in the assembly. PTI CHS VSD NSD NSD

Source: PTI