Punjab, Haryana feature prominently during discussion on agri Bills in Rajya Sabha

Ravi S Singh

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 20

Punjab and Haryana featured prominently during heated discussion on two farm reform related Bills in Rajya Sabha on Sunday.

Ongoing agitation of farmers from the two states was the dominating references by the speakers, both from the BJP and the opposition parties.

The stand out was the sharp exchanges by Congress’ MP from Punjab Partap Singh Bajwa, who initiated the discussion on the Bills from the Opposition and Bhupender Singh Yadav of the BJP, who is a native of Haryana but elected to the House from Rajasthan.

Yadav was the first speaker from the BJP immediately after Bajwa’s turn.

Flaunting his credentials as a speaker on agriculture related issues, Bajwa said he is a son of a farmer and hence, was conversant with grievances of farming community. He said farmers of Haryana, Punjab and western UP are agitated against the Bills and see them as an “attack on their conscience”.

Yadav countered Bajwa through his opening salvo saying he has dyed-in-the-wool “kisan” parentage, and a native of Haryana.

Referring to Bajwa’s reference to agitation of farmers of Punjab regarding the Bills, he said a similar bogey was raised in the seventies in the state against the iconic Bhakra Dam, which emerged as the life-line of the state.

“Bogey was raised that electricity would be squeezed out of water from Punjab’s river from the dam to sap it of its power,” Yadav said.

He said the Congress is in the habit of indulging doublespeak and spreading negativity, and in this context he referred to anti-CAA agitation.

He further said a high-powered committee was constituted by the Manmohan Singh government with the then Haryana Chief Minister BS Hooda to recommend measures to enhance farmers’ income.

The committee had also recommended measures to allow farmers to sell produce outside the mandis.

BJP member from UP Surendra Nagar said the Bills will allow farmers to sell their produce at any place in the country.

Due to the present restrictions the farmers of Haryana cannot sell their jaggery in the markets of Bihar where their produce will fetch a better price, Nagar said, pitching in with his hereditary association with agriculture.

Naresh Gujral of the SAD said his party opposed the Bills as they were against the interest of farmers  of the state, who have contributed to the progress and food security of the country.

SS Dhindsa, who floated a new Akali Dal after parting ways with Badals-led SAD, said jawans from Punjab who fought for the country’s security at the borders were sons of farmers.

AAP member Sushil Gupta also pitched himself as a native of Haryana. He cautioned the government that the farmers of the state will not forgive it.