Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu on Sunday fired a fresh salvo at the BJP-led Central Government claiming that after the withdrawal of the farm laws, the plans to end government procurement of crops will become more hidden and dangerous.
Sidhu, reiterating that issues related to Minimum Support Price (MSP) are bigger than the farm laws, minced no words to say that the Centre has “sinister plans” to end MSP, public distribution system (PDS), government procurement, and food security for the poor.
Taking on the Centre, Sidhu said that there had been no word from the Central Government on framing a law to guarantee the MSP for crops. At the same time, Sidhu claimed that the small farmers need Punjab Government's support to protect them from “corporate takeover” through the ‘Punjab Model’.
“Today, as we rejoice in our victory against 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 (sic),” tweeted Sidhu.
In a related tweet, Sidhu said: “Centre's design to give Procurement, Storage and Retail to private capital is still ongoing...No word by Centre for MSP legalisation, we are back to June 2020, Small farmers need Punjab government's support to protect them from Corporate take over - Punjab Model is the only way (sic).”
He had earlier said that if the Central Government genuinely wants to fulfil its promise of doubling the farmers' income, it should fulfil the demand for legislation to guarantee a remunerative
MSP.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, on Friday, announced that the Centre will repeal the three farm laws and bring necessary bills in the winter session of the Parliament beginning later this month.
Sidhu dubbed the announcement as a “step in the right direction”, while stressing that the MSP was a bigger issue than the farm laws.
Farmers have been camping at the Delhi’s three borders since November 26, 2020, with the demand to repeal the three agriculture laws — 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.
The protesting farmers have also been demanding a new law to guarantee the MSP for crops.