Chandigarh, Sep 16 (PTI) The Punjab BJP Thursday targeted state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu over his criticism of the Punjab Contract Farming Act, 2013, asking him why it took him eight years to understand the law "was not in the interest of farmers".

BJP state general secretary Subhash Sharma said Sidhu's wife Navjot Kaur was part of the then SAD-BJP government in the state when the contract farm law was enacted in 2013, asking him why he did not oppose it then.

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He further questioned him why the Congress-led government in Punjab which has been in power for the last four-and-a-half-years did not reject the law yet.

Sharma criticised Sidhu a day after the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief accused the Badals of the Shiromani Akali Dal of laying the foundation of the Centre's farm laws, which have prompted the ongoing protests by farmers.

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The Congress leader had alleged that the Centre's Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 was a "photostat copy" of the Punjab Contract Farming Act, 2013 enacted during the previous SAD-BJP government led by Parkash Singh Badal.

He had also alleged that the Centre's farm laws were framed to benefit corporates.

The Punjab BJP leader on Thursday said the Amarinder Singh-led government had amended the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act in 2017, allowing private mandis, private yards and direct purchase of crops from farmers.

He asked Sidhu, who was in the (Amarinder Singh) cabinet then, why he did not raise an objection to it.

Defending the Centre's farm laws, Sharma challenged Sidhu to tell where it was written in these laws that corporates could take over farmers' land.

Sharma asked Sidhu not to "mislead farmers by spreading lies".

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