Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan called the farmers’ turmoil an epic.
A special session of the Kerala Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution seeking to have the Union government withdraw the three contentious agricultural laws. Prime Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, introducing the resolution at the Assembly session, described the agitation of farmers in New Delhi demanding the withdrawal of the laws, as epic. Pinarayi called the agricultural laws in favor of the companies and against the farmers.
“The country’s capital is witnessing an epic upheaval by farmers. There is outstanding vigor behind this turmoil and it is something that was not visible in the recent past. These are agricultural laws favorable to businesses and farmers that the Union government passed in Parliament. It is in the cold Delhi winter that farmers rally behind the great protest. Agriculture in our country is not only a producing sector, but part of our culture. Therefore, reforms in the agricultural sector must be conceived and implemented with more vigilance, ”said Pinarayi.
The general excitement of the session was that the laws will not only affect farmers, but also the food security of the country. However, the sole BJP MLA O Rajagopal, who expressed his disagreement, said: “The agricultural laws aim to protect farmers, allowing them to sell their products anywhere in the country without the intervention of intermediaries.” The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) has 91 members in the 140-member Assembly.
“In many parts of the country, the fall in the support price of agricultural products and the suicide of farmers became a major social problem. At this stage, the government should declare more support prices for farmers. It is at a time when the agricultural sector is going through a major crisis that agricultural laws were passed. When the government withdrew from purchasing and distribution, hoarding and the black market would become rampant. Farmers’ bargaining power would weaken vis-à-vis corporations. And farmers do not have the ability to challenge corporations legally, ”said Pinarayi.
Supporting the resolution, KC Joseph represented Congress in the absence of opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala, who was unable to attend the Assembly due to health problems.
“Legislative bodies denied the opportunity to discuss agricultural bills. The Union government is obliged to address this. Farmers’ concerns that farm laws would destroy traditional trading venues, mandis, for businesses are fair. The Assembly registers strong opposition to this, “said KC Joseph.” Why isn’t the Prime Minister ready for talks even though farmers are protesting for days? Joseph asked.
He also lashed out at the Kerala government for not holding the session early and also not for passing a bill to stop the enforceability of laws in the state as states ruled by Congress did. In October, Punjab became the first state to reject the Union government’s agricultural laws by passing four bills to counter those of the Center. This was followed by Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan had initially refused to give permission to hold the session the government planned to hold on December 23.
Read also: Kerala Governor Approves Special Assembly Session on Agricultural Laws on December 31
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