Punjab CM Channi meets PM Modi, discusses farmers' issues
Darpan News Desk IANS, 01 Oct, 2021 10:38 AM
New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed farmers issues. The meeting was held at the Prime Minister's official residence at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg here.
It is learnt that Channi in his first meeting with the Prime Minister after becoming chief minister of Punjab requested that the Centre take back its decision to postpone paddy procurement by 10 days. The Centre has postponed the procurement of paddy by 10 days due to rain in Punjab and Haryana. Earlier the procurement was supposed to start from October 1 but now it will start from October 11.
"The chief minister has raised the issue of postponement of paddy procurement and requested to withdraw the order and immediately start the procurement," sources said.
The sources said that the Punjab chief minister also discussed issues concerning the development of the state.
It is learnt that Channi discussed the three new farm laws against which farmers have been protesting for almost a year. "Punjab chief minister Channi has requested the Prime Minister to repeal the three new farm laws or find a solution to end the farmers' protest," sources said.
Last month, the Congress high command made Channi the chief minister of Punjab replacing Amarinder Singh. Channi reached the national capital on Friday afternoon around 3 p.m. and later went to meet the Prime Minister.
There is speculation that Channi will meet former Congress President Rahul Gandhi and other senior party leaders before returning to Punjab. Channi is likely to discuss the ongoing crisis in the Punjab Congress unit with the party central leadership after the resignation of Navjot Singh Sidhu from the post of state unit chief. Before coming to the national capital, Channi met Sidhu on Thursday.
US Vice President Kamala Harris has told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that she was asking Pakistan to act on terrorism and ensure that terror groups do not target New Delhi or Washington, according to India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla.
The BJP, which had been politically attacking Amarinder Singh in the last several years, has launched blistering attacks against Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu and the Congress high command (Gandhi family) with the help of Amarinder Singh's recent comments against Sidhu and the Congress.
Rahul Gandhi met Channi along with the party's Punjab in-charge Harish Rawat and General Secretary K.C. Venugopal late on Thursday. Before that, Rahul held a separate meeting with Rawat.
According to orders, he would also be the Principal Secretary, Personnel and Vigilance, besides Financial Commissioner, Development, and Principal Secretary, Food Processing, Horticulture and Governance Reforms and Public Grievances.
Senior SAD leaders Prem Singh Chandumajra, Maheshinder Grewal and Daljit Cheema on Tuesday said it was most unfortunate that even after admitting that some wrong elements wanted to defame the 'kisan sangharsh', Rajewal had neither secured an unconditional apology from those guilty of hooliganism nor subjected them to the process of law.
The Prime minister further said that the visit would be an occasion to consolidate relations with our strategic partners - Japan and Australia - and to take forward our collaboration on important global issues. In a departure statement, the Prime Minister said he will be visiting the US from September 22-25 at the invitation of President Joe Biden.
