Govt must earn farmers’ trust, shelve pollution ordinance & power bill before talks: Cong MPs

STATE TIMES NEWS

New Delhi: Two Congress MPs from Punjab on Sunday said the Centre should withdraw the recent stubble burning ordinance and the Electricity Amendment Bill before its next round of talks with protesting farmer unions so that the dialogue to end the stalemate over three agri-marketing laws can progress smoothly. The government must earn trust of the protesting farmers, said parliamentarians Ravneet Singh Bittu and Jasbir Singh Gill who have been staging a sit-in at Jantar Mantar here for three weeks now in solidarity with the ongoing agitation.
Farmer groups protesting against the Centre’s three farm laws have proposed a meeting with the government at 11 am on December 29. Previously, several rounds of talks between the farmer unions and the government have failed to break the deadlock.
Besides demanding the repeal of the three farm laws, the agitating farmers want the government to withdraw the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Ordinance, 2020 and to shelve the Electricity Amendment Bill. Addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters here, Bittu said, “The government should stop being arrogant and should repeal the laws relating to power dues and stubble burning penalty.”
The two Congress MPs from Punjab accused the government of being insensitive towards farmers and asked how many of them would have to sacrifice their lives before the issue is resolved.
Bittu said that till the time the farmers’ issue is resolved, Prime minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet colleagues should sleep on the floor to empathise with the farmers protesting in the cold.