New Delhi: Opposition parties led by the Congress criticised the farm bills tabled in Rajya Sabha on Sunday, saying they will not sign on the “death warrant” of farmers
Rajya Sabha took up the discussion on The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill that have already been passed by Lok Sabha.
K K Ragesh (CPI-M), Derek O’Brien (TMC), Trichi Siva (DMK) and K C Venugopal (Congress) moved resolutions for sending the two bills to a select committee of the House for consideration before they are taken up for passage.
Initiating the discussion on these two bills, Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa, who hails from Punjab, described the proposed laws as “ill-conceived and ill-timed” and said his party “completely rejects” them. He said the bills are against land owners across the country, especially those of Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh.
“We will not sign on death warrants of farmers”, he said. With agriculture being a state subject, he said the bills are against the federal cooperative spirit.
“We do not want any tinkering in APMC and the minimum support price ( MSP),” he said, and wondered what was the need to bring these bills during COVID-19. Bajwa said farmers are on streets to protest against these two bills.
“Those whom you want to benefit are on the streets”. The Congress leader said that the BJP’s alliance partner Akali Dal has already opposed the Bills and Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from the Union Cabinet.
