Navjot Singh Sidhu to join protests to support farmer' cause

Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu

Going vocal against the BJP-led Central government and supporting farmers' agitation against agriculture Bills, former Punjab Minister and Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu on Tuesday said he would join protests in his constituency Amritsar (East).

He said the best way to counter the Central government's bills is to get legal remedy by challenging the three bills in the Supreme Court.

An announcement to hold the protests by him came in the wake of his party's call to its legislators to hold protests against the farm bills passed by both the Houses of Parliament.

"Farming is the soul of Punjab and attack on the soul would not be tolerated," Sidhu told the media here.

Asking the farmer unions to join hands to protect themselves from exploitation by capitalists, Sidhu said, "There is a need to chalk out a common minimum programme to safeguard the interests of the farmers."

The farmers of Punjab and Haryana have been contributing substantially to the national food grain kitty.

"The passage of Bills will favour big capitalists at the cost of farmers and labourers of India and they will adversely affect India's federal structure,a he said.

"The Bills will take away the livelihood of 28,000 'arhtiyas' and 4-5 lakh mandi labourers of Punjab that has 1,850 purchase centres," the Congress leader said.

Sidhu said the would legitimise hoarding.

"Hoarders would sell that produce at much higher prices, leading to food inflation," Sidhu added.

Earlier, marking his presence in politics with almost over an year of 'silence', Sidhu last week said "farming is the soul of Punjab and attack on the soul would not be tolerated".

"Farming is the soul of Punjab. Wounds on the body can heal, but wounds of the soul will not be tolerated and condoned," he said on Twitter on September 18.

He said the farmers "are the pride and identity of every Punjabi".

Sidhu asked the farmers to prepare for a struggle against the government which has "snatched their rights".

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