Aam Aadmi Party Punjab President and Member of Parliament (MP) Bhagwant Mann on Saturday said that if the country’s ‘annadata’ was not protected against the controversial black laws at this point in time, it would prove a death knell for a large number of ‘arhtiyas’, book-keepers, transporters, small shopkeepers, mandi labourers, and all other sections dependent on agriculture. He called upon one and all to rise above the political and other considerations and raise a pitch against the implementation of the laws, saying that the move would impinge upon the rights of the states giving a free hand to the corporate honchos to have their way to ‘loot’ the poor farmers.Mounting a veiled attack on Badals, Raja Amarinder Singh, Mann accused both of them of dancing to the Modi government’s tunes, by playing a pivotal role in facilitating the passage of the draconian laws brought in by Modi government at the centre, with the active support Raja Amarinder Singh and Badals, a well thought-out design to render the farmers dependant on the private players.Describing Gram Panchayats and Gram Sabhas as the roots of a strong democracy in the country, Mann said while addressing a mammoth Gram Sabha session under the popular ‘Gram Sabha bulao, Pind bachao, Punjab Bachao’ campaign, convened by the Bihala and Naroli village panchayats in Hoshiarpur district here on Saturday to repeal all the three laws by adopting a resolution by the bona fide residents of these villages, saying the contentious laws would be detrimental for the survival of the farmers and others. The resolutions against the laws were passed unanimously.
The AAP MP said the Aam Aadmi Party had been raising its pitch against the black laws from day one, saying that it would continue to extent its whole-hearted support to the protesting farmers and various farmer organisations, by holding ‘Jan Sabha’ in every village across the state, apprising the people about the disastrous outcome of the draconian law, if implemented.The AAP leader called upon the every panchayat to immediately convene Gram Sabhas in their respective villages immediately so that Union government’s move to implement the three anti-farmer and anti-people farm ordinances by force could be thwarted, which, he said, was imperative to save the ‘annadata’ from perishing.Hitting out at Punjab CM Raja Amarinder Singh, Mann said that he (Amarinder Singh), who first played a pawn to the Modi-government in clearing passage for the anti-farmers Bills aimed at demolishing the federal structure of the country, was now shedding crocodile tears by holding pseudo rallies across the state to win some political brownie points and save his skin.“What to speak of buying justice to the beleaguered farming community, he was dragging its feet on convening a special session of Punjab Vidhan Sabha, to abrogate the black laws. What can be more unfortunate than his stubbornness on the sensitive issue of farmers that the AAP had to stage a ‘dharna’ outside the Assembly on Friday, urging him to convene the special session, sooner than later.”Mann said that the AAP MLAs, office bearers, and a large number of volunteers, in tandem with Delhi government ministers, MLAs would stage a ‘dharna’ at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, on October 12, in support of the protesting farmers waging a big battle for survival, by seeking annulment of the anti-farmer and pro-corporate farm Bills, a brain child of the Modi-led NDA government at the centre.