Capt Amarinder knew what farm laws entailed since Aug ’19: AAP

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 24

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi MLA and co-in charge Punjab affairs Raghav Chadha today claimed Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh knew about the farm laws and was privy to the terms of reference of the high-powered committee of CMs to make and discuss the laws in August 2019, yet he did not share the information with the state peasantry.

Sharing this information received from the Niti Aayog — as per an RTI plea filed by AAP — he said the terms of reference clearly indicated large scale privatisation and corporatisation of agriculture in the country, but the Punjab CM did not oppose the farm laws well in time.

Cites RTI response from Niti aayog

The RTI (response from Niti Aayog) makes it clear that as per an office memorandum, dated August 7, 2019, the Chief Minister was the seventh member of the high-powered committee of CMs. He was privy to what the farm laws entailed since then. — Raghav Chadha, AAP Punjab affairs co-in charge

Chadha said, “Capt Amarinder Singh said he did not have any information regarding the laws, and neither he nor the state was a member of the committee…. But the RTI reply makes it clear as per an office memorandum dated August 7, 2019, the CM was the seventh member of the high-powered committee of CMs constituted by the Prime Minister. He was privy to what the laws entailed since August 2019.”

Reading out from the RTI response, Chadha said the PM approved the revised constitution of a high-powered committee of chief ministers for the “Transformation of Indian Agriculture” on August 7, 2019. Chadha further added in the agenda of the committee, the terms of reference included three key points — ‘Agricultural produce and Livestock Marketing Promotion and Facilitation Act, 2017’; ‘State Union Territory Agricultural Produce and Livestock, Contract farming and Services (Promotion and Facilitation Act) 2018; and examining various provisions of the Essential Commodities Act.

Chadha said, “This means Capt Amarinder Singh was aware the laws would lead to collapse of mandis, weakening or finishing of the minimum support price law and largely the privatisation of agriculture… why did he not speak up and prevent the passage of laws? If farmers knew about the laws, their passage could have been stopped beforehand.”