On June 3, the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved an ordinance with an aim to ensure a barrier-free trade in agricultural produce. The move is aimed at increasing farmers’ income.

The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion & Facilitation) Ordinance 2020 will allow farmers to sell their produce outside the prescribed limits of the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee markets and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance 2020 seeks to promote contract farming.

However, the announcement of the Centre’s Agricultural Services Ordinance-2020 has led to a spurt of protest across Punjab. Numerous farmers’ organisations in the state are opposing it. Besides, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP’s) own coalition partner, the Shiromani Akali Dal, has opposed it too. Soon after the Centre took the decision, an emergency meeting of Shiromani Akali Dal, led by chairman Sukhbir Singh Badal, was called for late in the evening.

The meeting was attended by prominent party leaders Jatthedar Tota Singh, Rajya Sabha member Balwinder Singh Bhundar, Prem Singh Chandumajra, Daljit Singh Seema and Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal. The entire ‘top leadership’ of the Shiromani Akali Dal was present at this short-notice meeting held in Chandigarh on the directions of the party chief and former minister Parkash Singh Badal. Of course, he himself did not attend it.

Before proceeding, it should be told that the Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal was present at the special meeting led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi during the announcement of Centre’s decisions. Harsimrat is the daughter-in-law of the Badal family and a big leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal. She represents the party in the Union Cabinet and all cabinet decisions also hold her seal of approval. According to sources, the emergency meeting of Shiromani Akali Dal had discussed in detail, till late night, on the ordinance and new minimum support price policy being brought over for the sale and purchase of crops by the central government.

Rajya Sabha members Balwinder Singh Bhundar and Prem Singh Chandumajra asserted in the meeting that the present central government is centralising the powers and the rights of the state governments are gradually being completely taken away from them. The two leaders told Sukhbir Singh Badal that he should now apprise Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the policy of the Shiromani Akali Dal afresh.

Shiromani Akali Dal is in the favour of strengthening the federal structure. The Centre’s intervention in the power sector was also discussed in the meeting. According to Balwinder Singh Bhundar, a longtime veteran leader of Parliamentary politics and one of the founders of the Shiromani Akali Dal, the Essential Commodities Act of 1955 was suddenly amended through a new ordinance while it should have been debated in the Parliament first.

Senior Akali leaders believe that Narendra Modi did not take the BJP’s coalition partners into confidence before making such a big decision on the marketisation of agriculture and consider the move to be suicidal. They also think it to be quite detrimental to the farmers.

Shiromani Akali Dal is also concerned with the Centre’s Agricultural Services Ordinance-2020 as it is set to be opposed by the common farmers at the grassroots level in Punjab and the Akali Dal considers itself to be the largest political spokesman and guardian of farmers’ interests. Seventy-six per cent of Shiromani Akali Dal’s vote bank is from rural Punjab. So, the Akali Dal, run by the Badals, is set to clash with the BJP in power at the Centre over the Centre’s new ordinance.

As per a senior Akali leader, this time the confrontation will be ‘decisive’. It is not accidental that suddenly the Punjab BJP has started humming for contesting elections in 59 seats just after a few months. It has been launched by the party spokesperson and several times MLA, former minister Madan Mohan Mittal.

Major farmers’ organisations in Punjab have also begun a scathing protest against the Narendra Modi government’s Agricultural Services Ordinance-2020. Everyone believes that this ordinance is more beneficial for the traders instead of the farmers. The farmer leaders believe that minimum support price elimination and the changes made with this view in the prevailing marketing system is going to push the farmers towards destruction.

“The new ordinance passed by the Narendra Modi cabinet is clearly going to eliminate the existing mandi system,” said Balbir Singh Rajowal, the president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Rajowal). “The central government is very keen to hand over the entire agriculture sector to corporate houses during the lockdown. The scope of mandis of Punjab and Haryana will be further limited through the new Ordinance. With the stopping of the procurement of the MSP, the farmers will be totally ruined,” he added.

The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU/Lakkhowal) chief Ajmer Singh Lakkhowal said: “Agriculture is a state subject, but the Narendra Modi government is all set to centralise the powers of the states. Traders will benefit more from the exemption of selling the crop anywhere. The farmers find it difficult to reach the mandis even in their region. They will not be able to sell the crop easily in other states. Corporate houses will definitely loot openly to suit themselves. We will do a statewide agitation against this ordinance.”

“The concept of ‘one country-one agricultural market’ is sheer anti-farmer and will prove to be a great antidote to the farmers,” said Sukhdev Singh, another senior farmer leader from Punjab.

According to senior agriculture expert Dr Devendra Sharma: “The three laws on agriculture passed by the Union Cabinet on June 3 are basically anti-farmer. Such laws have proved to be totally unsuccessful in Europe and the United States. The minimum support price is the only source of income for the farmers, the Ordinance will eliminate that too. The farmers of Punjab and Haryana will have the highest to lose from this as minimum support price and procurement are guaranteed in these states.”