Punjab CM Amarinder Singh has urged the centre to help in ending the blockade by farmers protesting against agriculture laws and said that he will meet PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah on the issue.
Captain Amarinder Singh urged the central government to show magnanimity and agree on the farmers’ demand of restoring freight services first, a report in NDTV said.
Supply of commodities like fertilisers and coal for power plants has been hit due to the weeks-long standoff between farmer unions and the Railways. The Railways has refused to resume goods trains, saying it would either operate both freight and passenger trains or none.
The farmers are protesting against the new agri-marketing laws enacted at the Centre, claiming that they would lead to the dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system. The farmers body said that the Centre has adopted a stubborn attitude towards Punjab, its farmers, traders and labourers and we condemn the central government’s attitude.
CM Amarinder Singh said that it was the joint responsibility of the state and central government to help resolve the issue resulting from the suspension of train services.
Earlier, a meeting was held between farmer bodies’ leaders, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Commerce Som Prakash in Delhi. The meeting had remained inconclusive.
Punjab CM is likely to meet the farmers’ union in Chandigarh and PM Modi and Amit Shah as well in Delhi. “The continued suspension of the rail movement is hurting not just Punjab but also the neighbouring states. Even the armed forces in Ladakh and Kashmir have been hit hard as their supplies have been seriously affected by the prolonged blockade,” Amarinder Singh reportedly said.
Farm leader Ruldu Singh said that it has been nearly a month since the farmer unions allowed the running of freight trains. He said once the Centre resumes freight trains the farmer bodies will hold an emergency meeting to discuss if they will allow passengers trains too to operate in the state.