The Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Thursday passed a resolution against the three contentious farm laws seeking their repeal, saying the Centre had “unlawfully ventured into the state’s domain”.
The House also passed the Punjab Agricultural Produce Market (Amendment) Bill, 2021, to “safeguard the interests of farmers” and also annulled a law on contract farming passed by the state assembly in 2013.
The House saw five adjournments and naming (barred from attending the session) of all the Akali MLAs during the discussion, as all attempts by speaker Rana KP Singh to diffuse the situation proved futile.
In October last year, the Vidhan Sabha had also passed a resolution against the farm laws when Amarinder Singh was the chief minister and also introduced three bills as an attempt to negate the central legislations. But the bills remained with the governor and were never sent to the President for approval.
The situation on Thursday got out of control after chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi targeted Akali MLA Bikram Singh Majithia.
Angry party legislators led by Majithia walked into the well of the House and had a heated exchange of words with their counterparts on the treasury benches as the former sought an apology from the CM.
Channi hurriedly announced to table a “white paper” on power sector, but the SAD members continued to protest, forcing another adjournment. Accepting that the words used against Majithia were “uncalled for”, the speaker ordered five adjournments and expunged Channi’s remarks besides taking the MLAs of the ruling party and that of SAD to his chamber in a bid to pacify them.
{{/usCountry}}Channi hurriedly announced to table a “white paper” on power sector, but the SAD members continued to protest, forcing another adjournment. Accepting that the words used against Majithia were “uncalled for”, the speaker ordered five adjournments and expunged Channi’s remarks besides taking the MLAs of the ruling party and that of SAD to his chamber in a bid to pacify them.
{{/usCountry}}Following a warning, the speaker ordered the Akali MLAs to go out of the House for the remaining period of the sitting as they refused to stop raising anti-CM slogans and remained adamant on apology.
It was second and concluding day of the last session of the Congress government’s current tenure, specially called to pass resolution on the farm laws and table a white paper on power purchase agreements (PPAs) signed during the previous Akali-BJP government.
Earlier, agriculture minister Randeep Singh Nabha moved the resolution followed by a debate during which state Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu blamed the SAD for the three laws, claiming that a beginning was made by then CM Parkash Singh Badal by notifying the Contract Farming Act, 2013. “The three laws (by the Centre) are extension of the one passed by the Akalis,” Sidhu said.
Leader of opposition and Aam Aadmi Party MLA Harpal Singh Cheema also accused the Akalis of supporting the farm laws. “SAD president Sukhbir Badal, Parkash Singh Badal and then Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal supported the laws and only snapped ties with the BJP when farmers started an agitation,” he added.