With key ally Shiromani Akali Dal already against the legislation and some of the regional parties have not yet made their position clear, the BJP is taking no chances. The ruling party has given its MPs a whip as it prepares to face a united opposition in the upper house.
The three bills are the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2020, the Farmers Production and Trade (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill 2020, and the Farmers’ Agreement (Empowerment and Protection) on Guarantee of 2020 agricultural prices and services.
The numbers game
The numbers appear to be in favor of the ruling dispensation to obtain these
invoices past of
Rajya
Sabha. Some key BJP leaders are said to be in contact with various opposition parties outside of Congress to seek the support of their
Rajya
Sabha members for these
invoices.
The BJP has 87 members in Rajya Sabha, which has a total force of 244 at present due to a vacancy. But with the support of its NDA partners and neutral parties like AIADMK, BJD, YSRCP, and others, the government has managed to get key legislation passed in the recent past.
The SAD has three members in Rajya Sabha while the INLD has none.
The BJP has 86 members and with its NDA allies, it can count on around 105 votes. With SAD opposing the bills, you will lose your 3 votes and you will also lose the TRS vote.
Shiv Sena, a former BJP ally and now in opposition, has voiced support for these bills. The Maharashtra party has three members in Rajya Sabha.
Several other regional parties, including the three-member AAP, the SP with eight seats and the BSP with four, have joined the ranks of the opposition in protest against these.
invoices but it may not be enough to get in the way.
The ‘unfortunate’ BJP didn’t address the issue even after we relayed our concerns: SAD
The Shiromani Akali Dal said on Saturday that it is “unfortunate” that even after the party conveyed its concerns to the BJP leadership about the three agricultural reform bills, the issue was not addressed and called on all political parties to stand. join their “fight”. against the laws.
Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the only SAD member in Modi’s government, resigned as Union minister on Thursday in protest against the bills.
“We will not sit in silence. We have always raised the voice of farmers and agricultural workers and will continue to do so in accordance with the party’s rich and glorious traditions,” said senior SAD leader and former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra.
TRS will vote against the bills
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) announced on Saturday that it will oppose the Farm Bills in Rajya Sabha, saying they would be an injustice to the country’s agricultural sector.
Telangana Prime Minister and TRS Chairman K Chandrasekhar Rao has directed TRS Parliamentary Party Leader Dr. K Keshava Rao to oppose the bills as they would benefit businesses and negatively affect businesses. the farmers.
KCR, as the Chief Minister is popularly known, said that since the bills will cause great losses to the agricultural sector and go against the interests of farmers, the TRS will oppose and vote against these bills in Rajya Sabha.
Tamil Nadu CM throws weight behind Center
The DMK opposed the farm laws for political reasons and they would benefit farmers from an unexpected drop in prices, Chief Minister K Palaniswami, who backed the Center’s initiative, said on Saturday.
“I would like to clarify that when the Amma government implemented a similar law, the opposition leader did not object,” he said.
“There is no provision in the bill to bind farmers or aspects that would affect them,” he said in a statement.
Kejriwal calls on all non-BJP parties to join in RS
AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal has called on all non-BJP parties to unite in Rajya Sabha and oppose three bills that he says would leave farmers in the hands of large companies for their exploitation.
Party chief Aam Aadmi called on non-BJP parties to ensure that all their members are present in the Chamber and that they do not present a strike “drama”.
“The three bills of the Center will leave farmers in the hands of big companies for exploitation. I call on all non-BJP parties to unite in Rajya Sabha and oppose these bills, to ensure that that all your deputies are present and do not organize a strike drama. Farmers across the country are watching you, “he said.
BJP issues whip to its members
The BJP has issued a three-line whip to all its Rajya Sabha members to be present on Sunday when the 3 contentious agricultural bills go before the Upper House.
After being passed in the Lok Sabha, the three agricultural bills will face opposition in the Rajya Sabha and the government wants full assistance in the treasury banks.
Khattar government in Haryana to exercise ‘restraint’ with protesting farmers
Fearing a backlash from its alliance partner Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), the Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government in Haryana on Saturday advised authorities to exercise restraint when dealing with farmers protesting against the bills. central agricultural approved by Lok Sabha.
In a communication to deputy commissioners and police superintendents, Additional Chief Secretary (Interior) Vjai Vardhan said protesters should be treated with “tact and patience.”
At the urging of the Bhartiya Kisan Union, farmers have been planning roadblocks across the state to present their protests against farm laws.
The government’s position on bills
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s energetic defense of the three bills and harsh criticism from the opposition for protesting against them on Thursday made it clear that he remains unfazed and that his government will go ahead to get the go-ahead from Parliament for these measures. aimed at opening private roads for farmers. to sell your products.
The government has presented these bills as farmer-friendly, saying they will ensure that farmers get better prices for their produce and are not subject to ‘mandis’ regulations.
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said Thursday at Lok Sabha that farmers will be free to sell their products to anyone and that these bills will increase competition and promote private investment, which will help infrastructure development. agricultural and will generate employment.
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