Punjab govt opposes Centre's 'so-called' agri reforms, terms ordinance as attack on nation's federal structure

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday opposed the Central government's "so-called agricultural reforms" and termed the Farming Produce, Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance as an attack on nation's federal structure.

The Chief Minister called the agricultural reforms "yet another brazen attempt to erode and destabilise" the country's federal structure and warned that it could pave the way for disbanding the MSP regime as well as the food grain procurement regime, triggering unrest among the state's farmers.

Pointing out that the federal structure of India envisages well-defined roles and responsibilities for the Centre and the states, Singh said that under the constitutional framework, agriculture is a state subject, and the Central government has no powers to make any legislation to deal with the dynamics of agricultural production, marketing and processing.

He described the "Farming Produce, Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020" as a "highly ill-conceived move" on the part of the Central government, setting that farmers will actually suffer at the hands of traders due to the legislative change.

( With inputs from ANI )