NEW DELHI: The Congress On Tuesday he said his boycott of Rajya Sabha will not end until the government introduces another bill prohibiting private players from buying food grains from farmers below the MSP, all state agencies comply with the MSP and the acquisition price is set according to the recommendations of the Swaminathan panel.
The opposition party also called for the revocation of the suspension of eight deputies in the Upper House.
Senior Leader of Congress and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad He made this statement outside Parliament while speaking to journalists, saying that the revocation of the suspension of opposition MPs Rajya Sabha was not a demand, but a “request”.
However, earlier, speaking within Rajya Sabha, he had said that the opposition will boycott the House proceedings until the suspension is lifted.
Outside parliament, Azad said the opposition has decided to boycott Rajya Sabha until all three conditions are met in the farm bills are met.
He said that President Ram Nath Kovind should not give his approval to the agricultural bills, claiming that proper procedure was not followed in their passage in Rajya Sabha.
But, in case the president gives his consent, the Opposition demands three things to end its boycott, or another bill is presented or Prime Minister Narendra Modi or the Minister of Agriculture say on the floor of the House that the purchase of farmers to produce at a rate lower than the minimum support price (MSP) by private actors would be illegal, Azad said.
The MSP should be set on the basis of the Swaminathan commission’s recommendations and agencies and the Indian Food Cooperation should be required to purchase agricultural products from the MSP, said the congressional leader.
“We will continue with the boycott until these demands are met … The fourth (topic) is a request to withdraw the suspension of the deputies,” he said.
The eight MPs were suspended on Monday for their “misconduct” with Rajya Sabha Vice President Harivansh during the passage of farm laws on Sunday.
The vice president of the opposition in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma criticized the vice president, saying that after “blatantly violating the rules, procedures and practices for passing bills and making laws, the vice president is shedding crocodile tears for parliamentary democracy.”
“Token fast is nothing but a sham,” he said.
Harivansh began a 24-hour fast on Tuesday citing “humiliating” behavior towards him by members of the opposition.
Several opposition parties, including Congress and the TMC, boycotted Lok Sabha on Tuesday in solidarity with the eight Rajya Sabha members who were suspended for rebellious behavior.
Congressional leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that all opposition parties are boycotting Parliament in solidarity with Rajya Sabha members who were suspended on Monday.
“He has forced us to do it,” he said.
Opposition parties, including Congress, TMC, BSP and TRS, left the Lok Sabha.
Chowdhury did not specify how long the boycott would continue.
The head whip of Congress in Rajya Sabha, Jairam Ramesh, listed the reasons why Congress and related parties are boycotting the remainder of the Rajya Sabha Monsoon session.
The Monsoon session is scheduled to end on October 1. However, the session is likely to be shortened with several MPs testing positive for the coronavirus.
He said that the Opposition is boycotting the session due to the way the government has demolished the bills and the way in which eight deputies were suspended without hearing them and without division in the suspension motion, which is according to the rules.
The boycott is also due to the way the opposition leader has not been allowed to speak, the way the government has simply not taken into account the opposition’s views, and the way the bills Crucials have not been referred to the situation or select committees, Ramesh said.
He also cited the way in which the division was not allowed in the two agricultural marketing bills and the way in which the MSP did not become part of the agricultural marketing law and did not make it applicable to private commerce, as reasons for the boycott of the Upper House.
Several opposition parties organized a Rajya Sabha strike on Tuesday and decided to boycott the House proceedings until the suspension of the eight members is revoked, even as the government insisted on its apology.
Among the parties that boycotted the House proceedings was Congress, which was among the first to withdraw, followed by members of the CPM, CPI, TMC, NCP, SP, Shiv Sena, RJD, DMK, TRS and AAP.
The Opposition has opposed the three agricultural bills: the 2020 Trade in Agricultural Products and Trade (Promotion and Facilitation) bill, the 2020 Agricultural Price and Services Guarantee Agreement for Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) of 2020 and the Essential Products Bill (Amendment) Bill of 2020. All of these bills have been passed by both Houses and await presidential approval.
.
