Punjab CM Channi Urges PM Modi to Repeal Contentious Farm Laws
Channi’s appeal to get the contentious farm laws repealed is likely to fall on deaf ears and the Modi government is not expected to withdraw the laws.
By Rakesh Raman
The newly handpicked Congress chief minister (CM) of Punjab Charanjit Singh Channi today (October 1) met prime minister (PM) Narendra Modi to discuss farmers’ issues.
Channi said after the meeting that he has urged Modi to repeal farm laws and the paddy procurement in the state should not be delayed.
“Met PM Modi at Delhi today and discussed the farmers’ issues including the repeal of farm laws and asked him not to delay the paddy procurement. Further appealed to him to reopen the Kartarpur Corridor which was closed due to Covid-19,” Channi tweeted about his meeting with PM Modi.
Farmers – mainly from Punjab, Haryana, and UP states – have been protesting since November 2020 against the three farm laws recently announced by the Modi government. Their demands also include the legal guarantee by the government to give a minimum support price (MSP) for certain crops.
Farmers fear that the new laws will deprive them of their farming rights and they will lose their lands which will be grabbed by Modi’s capitalist friends. They expect the government to withdraw these laws and ensure MSP for their crops. [ You can click here to watch a related video in Punjabi language. ]
However, the Modi government has flatly refused to accept farmers’ demands. After holding some initial talks with the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) farm leaders, the government has not called farmers for any meeting during the past many months.
Modi says that through the new farm laws, the Parliament of India has given a legal form to the agricultural reforms after a lot of deliberation. Protesters, however, argue that Modi is autocratically using his party’s majority in Parliament to impose anti-people laws.
Met PM @narendramodi ji at Delhi today and discussed the farmers’ issues including the repeal of farm laws and asked him not to delay the paddy procurement. Further appealed him to reopen the Kartarpur Corridor which was closed due to #Covid19. pic.twitter.com/pwd7EzLQFK
— Charanjit S Channi (@CHARANJITCHANNI) October 1, 2021
Therefore, Channi’s appeal to get the contentious farm laws repealed is likely to fall on deaf ears and the Modi government is not expected to withdraw the laws.
As the stalemate persists, farmers have decided to expand their agitation in other parts of India by forming local units of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) in different states. Farm leaders pledge that they will not end their agitation until the government accepts all their demands.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of a humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society.
