Punjab MPs raise issues related to state, farmers in Lok Sabha

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Vibha Sharma

New Delhi, December 12

Speaking during the Zero Hour, Punjab MPs Amar Singh, Harsimrat Badal and Preneet Kaur on Monday raised the issues related to state and farmers.

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also demanded a debate on national security, citing the recent law and order incidents in Punjab.

Raising the issue of MGNREGA in Punjab, in particular Fatehgarh Sahib, Amar Singh termed the situation “dismal” and accused the AAP government of “interfering with working of Panchayats”.

“December has passed but less than 50 per cent funds have been utilised in my constituency. No material payment is being done. In Sirhind, yesterday the village headmen told me that let alone 100 days, the new government is not giving work for even 25 days”.

“The new government is interfering a lot in the working of Panchayats. Entire government was in Gujarat during the election time,” he said, demanding the 100 days provision of work to be increased to 150 days.

Adhir demanded a discussion on national security in the House in view of the “deteriorating law and order situation from Punjab to Jammu and Kashmir”.

“In the United Nations Security Council, this government itself accepted that terror camps have increased after the removal of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. After the removal of Article 370, there have been 116 murders of Hindus and Sikhs. A few days ago, a rocket launcher grenade was also thrown in Tarn Taran district, such incidents have happened eight times in the past 13 months. Looking at these incidents, it feels law and order situation in India is in a bad state…there should be a discussion on the subject of internal security in the House,” he said

Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal demanded that the MSP committee be reconstituted immediately in keeping with the assurance given to farm unions when they lifted their Andolan one year back.

“It did not behove a government to renege on a solemn promise made to farmers in writing,” she said

Preneet Kaur said that MSP should be granted for all crops, all loans of farmers should be waived off and the Electricity Act tabled be reviewed. “In Lakhimpur Kheri, innocent farmers have been put behind bars. They should be released. All cases lodged against them must be taken back. The crop insurance scheme should be implemented. Climate change has led to problems for farmers. All false cases lodged against farmers at the time of the protest movement must be taken back immediately,” she said.