SAD asks Punjab govt to scrap 'anti-farmer' APMC Act 2017

According to Akalis, the APMC Act contained all the provisions included in the new farm legislations. “Scrapping of the provisions of the anti-farmer 2017 APMC act as well as declaring the whole of the state of Punjab as a notified Mandi, or Principal Market Area, have been the consistent demands of the SAD while urging the government to convene a special session of the state assembly,” Badal said in the statement.

Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal Tuesday asked the Congress government in Punjab to scrap the "anti-farmer" APMC Act 2017 in a special assembly session. His statement came after Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Tuesday announced to bring a special session to scuttle the new Central farm legislations.

Badal recalled how Singh had "ridiculed" the Akalis' demand of convening an assembly session, saying this was no solution to the problem. "But seeing the intensity of the Punjabis', especially the farmers', rage during the October 1 Akali protest march and the protests of the farmers' organisations, Amarinder is compelled to take this U-turn and agree to convene a session," Badal said in a statement here this evening. The SAD has been demanding the state government repeal the Agricultural Produce Market Committee Act, 2017. According to Akalis, the APMC Act contained all the provisions included in the new farm legislations.

"Scrapping of the provisions of the anti-farmer 2017 APMC act as well as declaring the whole of the state of Punjab as a notified Mandi, or Principal Market Area, have been the consistent demands of the SAD while urging the government to convene a special session of the state assembly," Badal said in the statement. He said the Centre's farm laws must be rejected by the state assembly. "Yet a mere rejection of these Acts would have no practical implication or utility for the farmer if the state is not declared an agricultural market and also if the 2017 APMC Act continues to remain in force in the state," he said.

Meanwhile, the Youth Akali Dal (YAD) said it would take the families of Punjab farmers who committed suicide to Rahul Gandhi's residence in Delhi to force him to listen to their plight after the Congress leader refused to meet the families during the course of his tractor rally in Patiala. "It is shameful that Rahul refused to meet the worst affected farmers of Punjab for whom he is ostensibly taking out the tractor yatra," YAD President Parambans Singh Romana said. Romana said such families have tried to approach the chief minister, the finance minister and now Rahul Gandhi, but have been "snubbed by all of them".