* Punjab will strongly oppose any move by the Centre to pass anti-farmer laws through the back door
* Appeal to the Central Government to talk to the farmers
* The Central Government is refusing to talk to the farmers
* Dallewal ji should end his fast to death, his life is precious for the country
* Punjab does not need air ambulances or additional forces to deal with the farmers' agitation, just the Centre should talk openly with the farmers
Criticizing the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government for its anti-farmer attitude, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Wednesday said in clear terms that the state government will strongly oppose any attempt by the central government to pass stringent anti-farmer laws through the back door.
Talking to reporters at his official residence here, the Chief Minister said that for the last few months, a farmers' agitation has been going on at Shambhu and Khanauri borders. He said that the farmers' organization held detailed talks with the central government in January-February last year and the state government acted as a bridge to hold these talks. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the demands of the farmers are mainly related to the central government and Punjab has no role in it.
The Chief Minister said that it is unfortunate that after coming to power at the Centre, the Modi-led government has not shown any concern for the farmers. He said that now the Central government is trying to bring back the black laws through the back door. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that all the demands of the farmers are linked to the Central government but the Modi government is indifferent towards it.
The Chief Minister said that the fast to death of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal is continuing but the Central Government is not worried, while the State Government has deployed more than 50 doctors for the health care of the farmer leader. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that he himself had called Dallewal and appealed to him to end the fast to death but the Central Government has not made any effort to appease the sentiments of the food donors. He said that the Central Government wants Dallewal and the farmers who are sitting peacefully to be removed from the protest site, even though this movement is not creating any law and order problem.
The Chief Minister said that he was surprised that the Central Government was avoiding talking to the farmers and was trying to put the responsibility on the state government. He said that instead of taking any steps to address the grievances of the farmers, the Central Government was trying to fix the responsibility of the farmers. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that instead of solving the problems of the farmers, the Central Government was ready to implement black laws again.
The Chief Minister said that the state government will not support any such step which is against the interests of Punjab and its farmers. He said that the state government is already implementing the orders of the Supreme Court to save the precious lives of farmers. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that this is a paradoxical situation because the issues of farmers are related to the Centre and the Haryana government is using force on the farmers, but Punjab is being made responsible for this entire situation.
The Chief Minister appealed to farmer leader Dallewal to end his fast unto death, saying that his life was very important for the country and the farmers. He said that despite the huge contribution made by the farmers of Punjab to the country, the Central Government was not making any effort to start a dialogue with the farmers. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the Centre should abandon its arrogant and indifferent attitude and talk openly with all the stakeholders.
The Chief Minister said that the Central Government has failed to provide DAP fertilizer to the farmers and rice has not been lifted from the state yet. He said that instead of solving these problems, the Central Government is trying to create a rift in the state, especially between the farmers and the government, which is completely intolerable. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that his government is giving the highest SAP to the sugarcane farmers and concrete efforts are being made to raise the water level in the state. He further said that his government is leaving no stone unturned to make agriculture a profitable business.
The Chief Minister said that Punjab does not need an air ambulance or additional force to deal with the farmers' agitation, but the Central Government should start talks with all stakeholders, especially the farmers. He said that the peace and tranquility of the state, achieved with great efforts, should be maintained at all costs. He said that the Centre should not stoop so low to take advantage of the Delhi Assembly elections. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the Central Government is running away from resolving this issue by talking to the farmers.
The Chief Minister said that he is raising this issue with the Central Government every day but the Centre is not paying attention to any demand of the farmers. He said that agriculture is a state subject but the Central Government is trying to impose its decision on the state, which is unreasonable. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that it is a fact that the Modi government has got used to using force to implement its decisions. He said that Modi has time to portray himself as a world guru but he does not want to solve the problems faced by his countrymen.