• MP Harsimrat Kaur, on the Electricity Amendment Bill, said no discussions were held with stakeholders

    Politics
    MP Harsimrat Kaur, on the Electricity Amendment Bill, said no discussions were held with stakeholders
    Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal in Lok Sabha said that the agriculture ministry gave a written assurance to farmers' organizations that these Bills would be introduced in Parliament after consultation with them.

    Digital Desk: Harsimrat Kaur Badal, a member of Parliament for Bathinda, requested on Monday that Union Power Minister RK Singh present to Parliament the specifics of the meeting with state governments and farmer organisations over the Electricity Amendment Bill.

    She said, in her speech to the Lok Sabha on Monday, that the agriculture ministry had provided the farmers' organisations a formal guarantee that these bills would be introduced into Parliament after consultation with them.

    "No conversation was held with people whose interests are related; the NDA government is evading the written promises made on the amendment bill in the same way as it evaded keeping its pledge to constitute a committee for MSP guarantees for the farmers," she claimed.

    She accused the power minister of misguiding Parliament just before he stated that the central government had not provided farmers' organisations with any written assurances. Harsimrat responded by displaying a letter dated December 9, 2021, to both the speaker and the power minister, in which assurance was provided.

    Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, the MP stated that the way the three farm laws were passed, the electricity amendment bill will also be passed, and the power sector will be handed over to corporate houses, which will harm the interests of farmers and the weaker sections of society. She demanded that all of these issues be addressed before the bill is introduced in Parliament.

    She stated that the central government is discriminating against farmers and wants to impose the electricity amendment bill on people in the same way that the three farm ordinances were issued without prior consultation.