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Electricity Amendment Bill will snatch away rights of states: AAP slams Centre

Electricity Amendment Bill will snatch away rights of states: AAP slams Centre
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New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party slammed the Central government for its new Electricity Amendment Bill under which electricity will no longer be a right of the states and the move will take away subsidy from the farmers.

AAP's Punjab president Bhagwant Mann and MLA Jarnail Singh said that after suppressing the farmers with the three black farm laws, the Modi government is now adding to that injury by introducing the Electricity Amendment Bill, 2021.

Mann said that it is the same bill on which discussions had taken place during the 11 rounds of meetings between the farmers and BJP ministers Piyush Goyal and Narendra Singh Tomar.

The two AAP leaders said that the farmers have been demanding the repeal of the three black farm laws, and instead of listening to the farmers the Central government has opted for "an insensitive and shameless stance". The Modi government is conspiring to make farming ultra-expensive so that farmers surrender their lands to capitalists, alleged Mann.

"During the meetings, the farmers were promised that this bill will not be introduced. However, later during the all-party meeting, I was told that the promise was made under the condition that if these talks with the farmers reach some positive conclusion they will not introduce the electricity bill. However, because that dialogue never reached any conclusion, they are now introducing this bill," he added.

The AAP leaders said that the Central government is now snatching electricity rights from the states, like they did with GST, agriculture, health, and education. Punjab gives 40 per cent of grains to the central pool, and the electricity at the tube wells was free for the farmers. "However, with this bill, the electricity subsidy that the farmers were getting from the Punjab government will end," he said.

"It is a loot on the rights of the states and is dangerous for the federal structure. The dictatorial Modi government is trying to destroy the states by forcibly imposing its orders," Mann said.

He also said that his party will continue its protest against the black farm laws along with the Electricity Amendment Bill in the streets of Punjab till the Parliament.

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