Amarinder Singh described the legislation "a direct and deliberate assault" on farmers' interests (File)

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said the state Congress will challenge the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020 in the court of law.

He described the legislation "a direct and deliberate assault" by the Centre on the farmers' interests.

Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 which seeks to deregulate food items, including cereals, pulses and onion, a move aimed at transforming the farm sector and raising farmers' income.

Riding roughshod over the farmers' concerns, the central government, of which the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is a constituent, has imposed a central law on a state subject, thus "eroding" the federal structure of the country, said the CM.

"We will challenge it in court," he said in a statement.

Asserting that he will not allow the farmers' interests to be compromised in this "shameless manner", Mr Singh said the enactment of the legislation is a step towards the "abolition" of the MSP (minimum support price) regime.

"It is a conspiracy on the part of the BJP-led NDA government to destroy Punjab and its farmers," he alleged and declared that the Congress will fight this "attack" on the state's interests tooth and nail.

"The legislation talks of encouraging competition among farmers. Do they really expect poor farmers, who are only competing with themselves for survival every day, to rival big corporates for protecting their interests?" asked the CM.

Noting that the enactment, along with the other two farm ordinances that the Centre has already tabled in the Lok Sabha, was in line with the recommendations of the Shanta Kumar committee, Mr Singh said.

The same committee had also suggested dismantling of the MSP regime. It is evident that the NDA government is now moving towards the "elimination" of the MSP system, he alleged.

The CM also took on Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Badal, accusing him of failing to protect the interests of Punjab's farmers.

Sukhbir and his SAD were clearly a party to the "treachery" of the Union government, which has paved the way for "taking away" the rights of the farmers, he alleged.

"Will you quit the ruling coalition at the Centre?" the CM asked Sukhbir.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The Congress on Tuesday accused the government of shying away from debating the Ladakh standoff issue in Lok Sabha and questioned the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the House.

Members of the Congress walked out of the Lok Sabha and staged a protest in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the Parliament House complex after they were not allowed to speak following a statement by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on the border standoff with China in eastern Ladakh.

Making a statement in Lok Sabha, Defence Minister Singh had said he would not hesitate to share that India is facing a "challenge" in Ladakh but at the same time added that the House should have "full confidence" that the armed forces will always rise to the challenge and make the country proud.

Firmly articulating the country's position on the tense border row in eastern Ladakh, he said Beijing has been very clearly conveyed that any attempt to "unilaterally" change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control is not at all acceptable.

"I will not hesitate to share with this august House that we are facing a challenge in Ladakh and I urge the House to pass a resolution in support of our armed forces who have been defending our motherland at great heights and most inclement weather conditions," Mr Singh said.

Congress' leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said leaders of the party wanted to speak in Lok Sabha in support of the armed forces and their bravery, but were not allowed to do so.

"The country is supreme for our Congress party and we take pride in the bravery and courage of our armed forces. We wanted to speak in favour of our armed forces and had sought only one minute, but were not allowed to talk. There are many questions but we know that this government does not want to answer any," he told reporters.

Citing the 1962 war with China, Mr Chowdhury said that BJP leader late Atal Bihari Vajpayee wanted to discuss the issue in Parliament and the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru convened a session of Parliament and the issue was discussed.

"We wanted to see the same tradition carried forward, but we know that this government is not willing to discuss the China matter in Parliament," he said.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the entire country is proud of the Indian army and "we are safe only because the armed forces are standing against the Chinese at the borders".

"But where is the prime minister. Why has the prime minister run away from admitting in Parliament the failure of the political leadership. Has China captured Indian territory? Depsang plains, Pangong Tso Lake, Lipu Lake and Y-Junction, has there been any transgression by China?" he asked.

Mr Surjewala asked how many kilometres has China captured and when will Prime Minister Modi throw out the Chinese from Indian territory.