Larger conspiracy to benefit capitalists: Sidhu on farm laws

Farm Laws are part of a larger strategy to destroy Punjab’s agriculture & hand-over India’s food security to a chosen few capitalists, Sidhu said in a tweet.

Patiala (Punjab): The Central government's contentious farm laws are part of a larger strategy to destroy Punjab's agriculture and hand over the country's food security to certain capitalists, cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu tweeted on Friday.

In a video released by Sidhu on Twitter, the former Punjab cabinet minister said the country had been fighting on a political front. However, the crisis confronting us was economic in nature. "Thus, along with our political initiatives, we need to work on developing alternative economic structures even if our present demands are ceded to, will that be enough to solve all the Punjab's farmers problems?" he sought to know.

Suggesting a slew of incentives to be given to farmers, Sidhu said the Minimum Support Price (MSP) should be part of the Acts the government has proposed. "We should give MSP and have government procurement for dals, oilseeds, vegetables and fruits. With this, the farmers can diversify and fulfill the nutritional demands of three crore Punjabis with state support," he said.

If the state lacked resources to support the farmers, the former cricketer suggested that the Punjab government crackdown on liquor mafia, sand mafia, transport and cable mafias. "With this, the state will be lush with funds," he said.

"I argue for a new economic structure to help farmers convert the strength of the corporates into the strength of the small farmers," he said, adding all of the suggestions he gave could be implemented by the Punjab government without needing approval from the Central government.

Three days ago, the Congress MLA had hoisted a black flag at his Patiala residence in support of farmers' protest.

Hundreds of farmers have been camping at Delhi's borders since November 2020 demanding that the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 be rolled back and a new law made to guarantee minimum support price for crops. However, the government, which has held multiple rounds of formal dialogue with the protesters, has maintained that the laws are pro-farmer.