Centre did not have any record of farmer deaths in ongoing Kisan Andolan!

SAD leads an eight party initiative demanding JPC be constituted to probe the assertion that the centre did not have any record of farmer deaths in ongoing Kisan Andolan.

(Harsimrat K Badal also urges all opposition parties, including Congress, to join delegation of MPs meeting President tomorrow to demand his intervention to discuss repeal of three agriculture laws in parliament)

Delhi, (Global News)– The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today led a eight party initiative demanding Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla constitute a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe union agriculture minister Narendra Tomar’s assertion in parliament that the union government did not have any record of farmer deaths in the ongoing Kisan Andolan.

A representation in this regard was submitted to the Lok Sabha Speaker by MPs representing the SAD, BSP, NCP, CPI, CPI-M, RLP, J&K National Conference and Shiv Sena.

Former union minister and Bathinda mp Harsimrat Kaur Badal also requested representatives of all opposition parties, including the Congress, to join the delegation of MPs meeting the President tomorrow to demand his intervention and direction to the union government to discuss repeal of the three agriculture laws in parliament.

Giving details of the memorandum submitted to the Speaker today, Mrs Harsimrat Badal said the MPs pointed out that the agriculture minister had committed a serious lapse by stating that the union government did not have any record of farmer deaths during the Kisan Andolan. “This amounts to whitewashing the sacrifice of the ‘annadaata’ who has been agitating against the three black agricultural laws for eight months' '. She said the MPs were shocked that the agriculture minister has made this assertion despite there being clear cut proof of 537 farmers being martyred during the course of the Kisan Andolan.

Requesting the Speaker to intervene on the issue immediately, the MPs said the agricultural minister should be advised to apologize to the farming community for his intemperate remarks. They said simultaneously the Speaker should form a JPC to ascertain details of the total number of lives lost in the ongoing Kisan Andolan and suggest ways and means to rehabilitate the victim families.

The MPs also brought it to the notice of the Speaker that the agriculture minister had gone on record to say that no study had been conducted to understand the apprehensions in the minds of farmers regarding the three farm laws. “This is a self admission that required steps were not taken to take feedback from farmers and their representatives”, Mrs Harsimrat Badal said adding the JPC could now be tasked with collecting this feedback and submitting the same to the government for necessary action.

The MPs also brought it to the notice of the Speaker that even though the hard working farmers had been protesting against the manner in which the three farm laws had been pushed through parliament without following a consultative process; the government was refusing to either acknowledge or resolve the grievances of farmers. “In fact repeated attempts are being made to defame the farmers and their democratic right to protest by name calling”. The MPs said the JPC could also go into this aspect and suggest ways and means to ensure the voice of the farmers was heard in parliament as well as the government.