Chandigarh, Feb 20 (PTI) Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring announced on Friday that the party will hold a massive public rally on February 28 at Barnala which will be attended by the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
The rally aims to protest against the Centre scrapping the MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) and the signing of a trade deal with the United States, which could potentially have a “devastating” impact on Punjab, Warring said.
Warring stated that the new law regarding MGNREGA will negatively affect the livelihoods of the poor, while the interim trade deal with the US could “destroy” the state’s farmers. He warned that Punjab could be among the hardest-hit states, as agriculture is a crucial part of its economy.
He also cautioned that the trade deal may have long-term impacts, posing multiple challenges for the region.
The Ludhiana MP emphasised that the trade deal has the potential to “destroy” local agriculture, particularly if agricultural goods are allowed to be imported at a ‘zero per cent’ tariff. This would likely lead to a loss of jobs and earnings for many farmers in the state, leaving them jobless, he said.
“We are really concerned about such a scenario,” he said, claiming that such a situation could be exploited by adversaries continuously trying to create unrest in the state.
Warring highlighted that Punjab’s youth are already vulnerable to drug trafficking from Pakistan, and the state cannot afford to face additional risks.
The PCC president alleged that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal, his brother-in-law Bikram Majithia and the state BJP president Sunil Jakhar have been targeting him, seemingly because they view Congress as a common threat to their political survival. PTI CHS MPL MPL
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