Presenting minutes of proceedings of the Parliamentary Committee, Bhagwant Mann challenges Harsimrat Badal

…..We are not going to do dual politics like Congress and Akalis, we will continue to raise the voice of farmers in unison from the streets to Parliament: Bhagwant Mann

…..What does Harsimrat Badal said in the central meeting on June 5, 2020, she should release her minutes

…..For praising black farm laws for three months and being termed it as farmer-friendly by Parkash Singh Badal; Harsimrat Kaur Badal should give an explanation

Chandigarh/Delhi, March 23, 2021

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab president and Member of Parliament from Sangrur, Bhagwant Mann on Monday made public the minutes of Parliament’s Standing Committee on Food Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution and challenged former Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh to make public the statements made by them in the cabinet meeting and high power committee, respectively on the black farm laws. Addressing a press conference convened in Delhi, Bhagwant Mann presented the strong statement made by him in the Parliamentary Committee against the black farm laws and said that the opposition parties were trying to create confusion among the people by spreading lies about the Aam Aadmi Party; but the people of Punjab understand their tricks well.

Mann said that the proposal put forward by the government in these bills would give impetus to hoarding and under a conspiracy to remove onions and tomatoes from the list of essential commodities, it will make life difficult for the poor. He said that with the implementation of this act hoarders would stockpile goods and later sell them at exorbitant prices which would make life difficult for the common man and that the government should keep such essentials. In the meeting, Mann said that Punjab was producing a large quantity of potatoes and farmers could not afford to keep potatoes in cold stores. He said that after this, the hoarders sell the potatoes at higher prices when there is a shortage of potatoes.

Challenging Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Mann said that he has made public his minutes on what she used to accuse him of supporting the laws in the parliamentary committee. “Now she should also make public the proceedings of the meeting of June 5, 2020 when these black laws came in the cabinet meeting and she supported them,” he added. Mann said that they should not consider us as they are, as we would not do double politics for our personal interests. He said that earlier when Harsimrat Kaur Badal was a minister in the Modi-led central government, she used to praise these black laws and tell the people that they were very progressive laws for the farmers and now was trying to be benevolent to the farmers.

Mann said that in fact the opposition parties Congress and Akali Dal were in turmoil with the people joining the Aam Aadmi Party day by day. “To discredit the Aam Aadmi Party, the opposition parties are therefore engaged in spreading false propaganda,” he added. He said that the Aam Aadmi Party has been opposing these black laws from day one. Mann said that the party was opposing these black farm laws from the streets to the Parliament. He said that the AAP was serving as a ‘sewadar’ to the farmers agitating against the black laws in Delhi. “While Harsimrat Kaur Badal used to praise these laws earlier. She had called Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar in Chandigarh and held a press conference in favor of these laws,” said Mann. He said that after the farmers’ convention held by the Aam Aadmi Party at Bagha Purana, the Congress and Akali Dal were in a whirl due to which they were spreading false propaganda.