Youth Cong leaders hold tractor march

Our Correspondent

Jalandhar, September 26

Unhappy over the three farm Bills passed by the Centre recently, the office-bearers and members of the Youth Congress, Jalandhar, held a huge tractor march here on Saturday, which started from Congress Bhawan, Rajinder Nagar, and after passing through BMC Chowk, Guru Nanak Mission Chowk, Nakodar Chowk, Ravidass Chowk, Model Town and other adjoining areas, it culminated near the bus stand.

The march was led by Angad Dutta, president, Youth Congress, Jalandhar (urban) and Bunty Shelke, general secretary, Youth Congress, and was flagged off by Jalandhar Central MLA Rajinder Beri and District Jalandhar Congress Committee (urban) president Baldev Singh Dev. The members during the protest also burnt the effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and raised slogans against the BJP government for passing the anti-farm bills.

Addressing the gathering, Rajinder Beri and Baldev Singh Dev, said the new farm bill i.e. the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, passed by the Centre during the monsoon session of the Parliament is nothing but death warrants against farmers in the form of farm Bills.

Bunty Shelke said the Bills hold big consequences for the future of farmers. “These proposed laws will paralyse farmers as well as the entire agriculture sector in the country. The Bills were forcibly passed by the Centre in a bid to make the Indian farmers dependent on industrialists. The government has removed grain and pulses from the essential commodities’ list. Hoarders have been legalised and now, they can sell farmers’ produce at a higher price. People of Punjab should unite and no such draconian laws should be allowed to be implemented,” he said.

Saying that the Bills will confine APMC madis to their physical boundaries and give a free hand to big corporate buyers, Angad Dutta said there was no provision in the Bills for the protection of the rights of farm labourers or tenants. “When the mandi system ends, a farmer will be dependent only on contract farming and big companies would set the price for their crops.