CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution against the Centre’s order extending the jurisdiction of the Border Security Force (BSF) from 15 km to 50 km, terming it an “insult” and seeking its withdrawal. The two BJP MLAs in the 117-member House were
absent when the resolution was passed.
The Assembly also passed a second resolution rejecting the three farm laws and demanding their immediate withdrawal. It stated that the Centre had “unlawfully ventured into the domain of the state government”.
The resolution against BSF jurisdiction extension during a special session was moved by Deputy Chief Minister-cum-Home Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who dubbed the central government’s order as attack on the federal structure and urged MLAs to meet PM Modi over the issue.
The resolution reads, “Punjab Police is a unique patriotic force which has contributed immensely in maintaining the unity and integrity of the country. As per the Constitution of India, maintaining law and order is the responsibility of the state government and for this purpose, the Government of Punjab is fully competent…. The decision… by the Union government is an expression of distrust towards the state police and people of Punjab. This is their insult too.”
Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi said if required, the state would approach Supreme Court in this matter.
Accusing the Congress government of adopting double standards on deployment of BSF, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Majithia said on one hand, the home minister was deploying the force in jails whereas on the other hand, he was opposing its jurisdiction.
Rejecting the resolution, former chief minister Amarinder Singh asked the state government not to politicise the issue of national security for petty partisan ends.
In the absence of the two BJP members of the assembly, the House unanimously passed the resolution "rejecting" the Centre's order.
The Centre had last month amended the BSF Act to authorise the border guarding force to undertake search, seizure and arrest within a 50 km stretch, up from the existing 15 km, from the international border in Punjab, West Bengal and Assam.
The resolution was moved by Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa.
It stated that "Punjab is a land of martyrs.
They have made exemplary sacrifices in our country's freedom struggle".
"The Punjab Police is a unique patriotic force which has contributed immensely in maintaining the unity and integrity of the country. As per the Constitution of India, maintaining law and order is the responsibility of the state government and for this purpose, the Government of Punjab is fully competent."
The decision of extending the jurisdiction of the BSF from 15 km to 50 km by the Union Government is an "expression of distrust" towards the state police and the people of Punjab.
This is their "insult" too, the resolution stated.
It further said the Centre should have consulted the state before taking such a major decision, adding the law-and-order situation in Punjab is totally under control and there is no need to extend the jurisdiction of the BSF.
"All political parties of Punjab have unanimously condemned the decision of the Union government and have demanded that the Union Government should withdraw notification dated 11.10.2021 issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India."
"Therefore, the Punjab Vidhan Sabha unanimously resolves that a resolution rejecting the notification of the central government in this regard may be passed, " it added.
Randhawa termed the Centre's notification on extending BSF's jurisdiction an "attack on the federal structure".
The Assembly members should meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue, he said, adding the state government would move the High Court and Supreme Court over the Centre's notification.
The deputy CM further said the first line of defence was with the BSF while the second line of defence was jointly held by the Punjab police and the border security force.
Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia told the House that the Congress-led government in the state should pass a decision that the Punjab Police would not cooperate with the BSF beyond 15 km.
He attacked the treasury benches while referring towards Congress MP Manish Tewari's recent tweet in which he had questioned that why the Centre's notification had not been challenged.
Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu slammed Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and Majithia for not attending the all-party meeting called last month on the Centre's notification.
Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi hit out at the Akalis, alleging they were the "gateway" through which the RSS, which has always been "inimical" to the interests of Punjab, managed to make inroads in the state.
"When the RSS and its political wing the BJP undermined the federal structure of the country by revoking the Article 370 not only did the Akalis take sides with them but SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal spoke in favour of the move and even went to the extent of not voting against the undemocratic move," he said.
Channi accused the Akalis of being responsible for the "imposition of such decisions on Punjab".
On his meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, Channi said those were courtesy calls.
"Perhaps the Akalis have chosen to forget very conveniently that I wrote letters to the Union Government emphasizing the reopening of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor besides pleading with it repeatedly to roll back the three draconian agricultural farm laws which are striking at the very roots of the farming sector which forms the backbone of our agrarian economy."
Channi told the House that in his meetings with the Centre on security issues, he always took the consistent stand that the international border should be sealed so that drugs could not enter Punjab.
"I never asked them to increase the jurisdiction of the BSF in the state which I am being falsely accused of. I am vehemently in opposition to this move by the Government of India," he said.
Earlier, Transport minister Amarinder Singh Raja Warring took a dig at Sukhbir Badal and Harsimrat Kaur Badal for having the central security forces deployed with them and asked them whether they did not have faith in the Punjab police.
Former chief ministers Amarinder Singh and Parkash Singh Badal were not present at the House session.
AAP MLA Aman Arora questioned Channi's meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah last month and said after his meeting, the Centre, brought a notification on the BSF's jurisdiction.
Later, the AAP MLAs staged a walkout over the BSF issue.
Earlier, the AAP and Akali MLAs had staged a walkout for not being allowed to raise other issues.
Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution against the Centre's three contentious farm laws, claiming that it had unlawfully ventured into the domain of the state government.
It is the second resolution adopted by the Vidhan Sabha against the Centre's three agriculture laws.
The first was passed in October last year when Amarinder Singh was the chief minister of Punjab.
The resolution was moved by state Agriculture Minister Randeep Singh Nabha on the concluding day of the two-day Assembly session.
After discussion in the house, the resolution was passed in the absence of two BJP legislators.
"This special session of Vidhan Sabha held on November 11, 2021 through a resolution moved by agriculture minister Punjab and adopted by the House, once again rejects the three contentious legislations which were enacted by the Union government without any competence, by unlawfully venturing into the domain of the states," it said.
Describing the three farm laws as an "attack on the federal structure", Nabha said the Punjab government will not implement these.
According to the resolution, the Vidhan Sabha strongly deprecates and condemns the efforts of the Union government aimed at "systematic dismantling of farmer-friendly regulated mandis and replacing them with trader-friendly unregulated mandis".
"The Punjab Vidhan Sabha feels concerned at the unfair concessions extended to the traders and corporations of allowing purchases from unregulated markets without paying market fee, rural development fee etc. and thus providing unfair advantage to unregulated markets vis-a-vis regulated mandis," it said.
The resolution said this will eventually lead to shifting of trade from the APMC mandis to the private mandis apart from causing fiscal loss to the state government and adversely affecting rural development.
Participating in the discussion, AAP MLA Kultar Singh Sandhwan called the Centre's farm laws as an "attack on the federal structure" and said the residence of the prime minister should be gheraoed to press the central government to repeal the laws.
Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu attacked the AAP-led Delhi government, alleging it had notified one of the Centre's farm laws and claimed that it has not been denotified yet.
Sidhu said it was the Congress which brought a Water Termination Act to now allow a single drop of water to be taken out of the state.
It was the Congress which brought the minimum support price, public distribution system and the Food Corporation of India, he added.
It was only the Manmohan Singh government at the Centre which had waived Rs 72,000 crore of farm debt, he further said.
He said that Amarinder Singh-led government had waived Rs 5,000-7,000 crore of the farm debt.
When Sidhu was speaking, Akali legislators were shouting slogans against him.
AAP MLA Harpal Singh Cheema questioned the role of the Congress-led government in the state over the farm laws issue.
Akali Dal MLA Gurpartap Singh Wadala accused the AAP of playing a "double game", alleging it had notified one of the Centre's three farm laws.
He further said the Akali Dal had broken its ties with the NDA and had left the ministry in the union cabinet over the farm laws issue.
Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia took a dig at Navjot Singh Sidhu, saying when the Punjab Contract Farming Act was brought in in 2013, his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu was part of the SAD-BJP regime.
The house also passed the Punjab Contract Farming (Repeal) Bill, 2021 to repeal the Punjab Contract Farming Act 2013.
The assembly also passed the Punjab Agricultural Produce Markets (Amendment) Bill, 2021.
Meanwhile, several other Bills including the Punjab Right to Business (Amendment) Bill, 2021, the Punjab Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2021, the Punjab Official Language (Amendment) Bill, 2021, the Punjab Learning of Punjabi and Other Language (Amendment) Bill, 2021, the Punjab Affiliated Colleges (Security of Service) Amendment Bill, 2021, the Punjab One-Time Voluntary Disclosure and Settlement of Building Constructed in Violations of the Buildings Bye-laws Bill, 2021, the Punjab Protection and Regularization of Contractual Employees Bill, 2021 and the Punjab Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (Second Amendment) Bill, 2021 were passed in the House.
(With PTI Inputs)