The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed two bills related to the agriculture sector that have triggered much controversy in the country with farmers being apprehensive that the bills will overlook their interests.
The bills were deemed as passed by the Lok Sabha after the Opposition didn’t seek voting on any clause related to the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and the Farmers’ Produce Trade and commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020.
The Congress, the DMK and the Left parties opposed the Bills and walked out of the House in protest.
Speaking about the bills, Congress party’s leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said these two bills along with a third farm bill that has been introduced by the Modi government are a “toxic triangle”.
In his speech during the discussion on the two farm bills, Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal termed them to be “anti-farmers”. He also announced that Akali Dal MP and Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal would be resigning from the Narendra Modi government in protest against the farm bills.
The Akali Dal is the BJP’s oldest ally and Harsimrat Kaur Badal was its sole representative in the government.
Soon after, Harsimrat Kaur Badal in a tweet said she has resigned from the Union Cabinet and feels “proud” to stand by the farmers against these “anti-farmer” legislations.
“I have resigned from the Union Cabinet in protest against anti-farmer ordinances and legislation. Proud to stand with farmers as their daughter and sister,” she said in a tweet.
“I don’t want to be part of a government which brought farm sector bills without addressing apprehensions of farmers,” she was quoted as saying later by PTI.
Sukhbir Singh Badal said his party repeatedly tried to appraise the Modi government about the apprehensions that farmers have regarding these bills.
“We asked Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar several times to address farmers’ concerns but we were not heard.”
In his speech in the Lok Sabha, Sukhbir Singh Badal said the proposed laws will “destroy” the 50 years of hard work done by successive Punjab governments to build the farm sector.
He recalled Punjab’s massive contribution in making India self-sufficient in food grain production as he vehemently opposed the bills.
Meanwhile, the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) has given a call for an all-India band and protest on September 25.
WHAT ARE THE FARM BILLS?
On Monday, the Modi government introduced ‘The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion And Facilitation) Bill’, ‘The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill’, and ‘The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill’.
These bills are aimed to replace the ordinances promulgated by the government in the past.
The government has argued that these measures will free farmers from the existing government-controlled markets and prices, and that they can enter into agreements with private parties for a better price of their produce.
However, farmers are apprehensive and fear that once these bills are passed by Parliament, they would pave the way for dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system and leave the farming community at the “mercy” of big corporates.
Over the last few weeks, farmers have organised protests in several parts of Punjab, Haryana, Telangana, Rajasthan, among others, against these bills.
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