Congratulating farmers over the triumphant culmination of their over year-long agitation against the farm laws, Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) chief Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday hoped it would pave the way for a more constructive political environment for the progress of the farming community.

The former Punjab Chief Minister said he was happy the farmers’ fight had reached its logical conclusion and the Uttar Pradesh and Haryana governments had agreed in principle to follow his own erstwhile government’s decision in Punjab to compensate the families of farmers who had lost their lives during the agitation.

In a statement, the former CM expressed relief that the agitating farmers, farm labourers, and their families will finally be back in the warm comfort of their homes after camping at Delhi’s borders since November last year.

Amarinder hoped the lingering issue of minimum support price, for which the Centre had constituted a committee, would also be resolved soon to the satisfaction of the farmers.

He further hoped all future legislation and decisions concerning the farming community, which has been at the forefront of India’s progressive march since Independence, would be taken in the spirit of mutual agreement, after due consultation with all the stakeholders.

Amarinder said, as, in the past, he would continue to do everything in his power to protect their interests and ensure their welfare. He said as CM of Punjab, he had not only supported the farmers’ fight for the repeal of the farm laws but had ensured that they were not, in any way, harassed even when they were sitting in protest across the state or marching towards Delhi.

As far back as in June 2020, he had convened an all-party meeting to seek repeal of what were then the three farm Ordinances and his government had followed it up with a Resolution rejecting the Ordinances, which was passed by the Punjab Assembly in August, the former Congress leader added.

These initiatives, said Amarinder, were in sharp contrast to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which was outright condemning the farmers’ stir after being instrumental in bringing in the Ordinances, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which was busy implementing one of the farm laws in Delhi, while the farmers were fighting with their lives out on the roads.