Punjab congress MPs to move private members bill to repeal farm laws

Congress MPs from Punjab have announced that they will move private member bill in parliament, demanding the Central Government to repeal the three contentious farm laws. Congress MP Manish Tewari said that they had submitted collective as well as individual private members bills in Lok Sabha and even asked their colleagues in Rajya Sabha to do the same.

New Delhi: Congress party's MPs from Punjab, on Tuesday, announced that they will move Private Member Bill in Parliament, demanding the Central Government to repeal the three contentious farm laws. They will also ask the other parties MPs to join the move.

Congress MPs including Manish Tewari, Preneet Kaur, Ravneet Bittu, Jasbir Singh Gill, Amar Singh, Santokh Choudhary and Mohd Sidique addressed a press conference at Punjab Bhawan, here in Delhi.

Manish Tewari said that they submitted collective as well as individual private members bills in Lok Sabha and even asked their colleagues in Rajya Sabha to do the same.

While speaking to ETV Bharat, Tewari said, "All the eight MPs of Punjab Congress in Lok Sabha have collectively decided that we will move Private Member Bill in Parliament. We are hopeful that our other colleagues would hear the voice of their conscience and support this initiative so that these anti-farmer laws will be repealed."

Mentioning that only 14 Private Member Bills have been successful in becoming laws, so far, the Congress MP said that he is hopeful, it will be the 15th Bill.

Ravneet Bittu, while addressing the media, said that out of their 247 MPs, 203 in Lok Sabha have mentioned farming as their profession and therefore it is being expected that they will join Congress' efforts and follow the suit. "We believe that these MPs should also join in to hit the arrogance of the Government and get them to see the farmer's point," Bittu said.

Jasbir Singh Gill demanded Rs 50 lakh ex-gratia to be paid to the kin of those farmers who lost their lives during the protests against farm laws.

Tewari also said that they will urge the Lok Sabha Speaker to prioritize the introduction and passage of their Private Members Bills.