Chandigarh, Feb 25 : The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday hailed the Punjab government's decision to reject the Centre's proposed agricultural marketing reform draft in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha.

This decision makes Punjab the first state to reject this "anti-farmer" draft, protecting the interests of farmers and stakeholders in the state's agricultural sector, said party spokesperson Neel Garg.

He congratulated Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and his government for taking a stand in favour of farmers.

"This is a historic day. The Modi government's draft was a direct attack on the rights of Punjab and its farmers. The Mann government has shown unparalleled commitment to safeguarding the interests of the state's farming community," said Garg.

He recalled that when the draft was initially sent by the Central government, the State Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian consulted all stakeholders, including farmer unions, labourers, commission agents (arhtiyas), and other agricultural representatives.

During discussions, it became evident that the proposal was against state's interests and would harm farmers in the long run.

He highlighted the negative impacts the draft could have had. They include farmers would face difficulties selling their crops at the minimum support price (MSP), state's mandi (market) system would be destroyed, the income of commission agents severely impacted, and road maintenance under the Rural Development Fund (RDF), covering nearly 65,000 km of roads would suffer due to reduced funding.

Garg emphasised this decision reflects "AAP's consistent support for farmers and their struggles. The AAP has always stood by farmers, supported their demands, and opposed any policy that harms their rights."

He also challenged opposition parties, especially the Congress, to take similar steps in other states.

"While the Congress claims to support farmers, why have their state governments not opposed this draft? Punjab is leading by example, and other states should follow suit," the AAP spokesperson added.

/IANS