The Upper House of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) passed two controversial agricultural bills on Sunday amid uproar from opposition members. The bills have sparked protests from farmers in various places.
The two bills, the Bill on Trade in Agricultural Products and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation), 2020, and the Agreement for the Guarantee of Prices and Agricultural Services of Farmers (Empowerment and Protection), 2020, were approved by Lok Sabha on Thursday.
These bills will now be sent to President Ram Nath Kovind for approval.
Opposition parties protested the bill, criticizing the way it was passed in Parliament. In fact, opposition members who had previously tabled amendments refused to participate in the proceedings when the bill was put to the vote.
Here is the position of the different opposition parties:
Aam Aadmi Party
The AAP has opposed the farm bill. Rajya Sabha member of the party, Sanjay Singh, lashed out at the government, claiming he wants companies to take over India’s agricultural sector.
Congress
Congress has addressed the government on the issue of the Minimum Subsistence Price (MSP), calling the farmers’ bills submitted by the government “black laws.” “Why the government is fleeing from MSP’s legal obligation. Who will take an MSP guarantee out of ‘Mandi’? ”Said Congress Secretary General Randeep Singh Surjewala. The Center has tried to allay farmers’ concerns that the MSP will remain intact and criticized opposition parties for misleading farmers for political gain.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted to say Sunday afternoon that the MSP will remain intact and praised the passage of the bills in Parliament.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)
SAD, the oldest constituent of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), said there can be no talks with the Center unless the agriculture bills are withdrawn. This position was announced by SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday.
Punjab’s minister of food and civil supplies, BB Ashu, criticized SAD for taking a 180-degree turn on the issue. He accused Akali Dal of changing his position with the Bills after “realizing the seriousness of the matter.”
Trinamool, DMK and CPM Congress
These parties wanted the bill to go to a select committee of the Rajya Sabha for further scrutiny. Vice President Harivansh put their demands to a vote and said the motions have been rejected by oral vote. Then there were shouts of slogans as members attempted to interrupt the presiding officer, who was protected by the House bailiffs.
Rashtriya Janata Dal
Attacking Modi’s government over the issue of farm laws, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said on Sunday that his party has always fought for farmers’ rights and will fight “tooth and nail” against this “corporatization of the agricultural sector.” .
Why did a Union cabinet minister resign if the bills were not “anti-farmers”, he said while speaking to the PTI news agency. Yadav was referring to the fact that SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from the cabinet last week over the issue of farm laws.
Shiv Sena
The Maharashtra party opposed the agricultural laws and its leader Sanjay Raut demanded a special session to discuss them. Raut also called on the government to guarantee that no farmer will commit suicide after the bills are passed and that his income will increase.
AIADMK
The Tamil Nadu party, part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), opposed the bills. He affirmed that the bills will favor corporate houses.
Telangana Rashtra Samiti
TRS chef and Telangana Prime Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said he is against the bills, claiming they would cause great injustice to the country’s farmers.
Major farmers ‘organizations such as the Bharatiya Kisan Union and the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee, a front of nearly 200 farmers’ groups, have also opposed the bills.
Bharatiya Janata Party
BJP Chairman JP Nadda praised Parliament’s passage of two agricultural sector reform bills on Sunday, saying they will give farmers freedom to sell their products and remove them from middlemen.
He also attacked opposition parties for the uproar in Rajya Sabha after the president proceeded to accept the bills for approval, calling the behavior “highly irresponsible” and an attack on democracy.
YSRCP
The party led by Jagan Mohan Reddy announced its support for the bill. YSRCP MP Vijaysai Reddy criticized Congress, saying there is no reason for him to oppose the agriculture-related bills. “I want to bring the hypocrisy of the Congress party. In their manifesto of the Lok Sabha elections, they have said the same things that are in the bills and now they are not supporting the bills, ”he said.
Janata Dal (States)
Ram Chandra Prasad Singh of JD (U), while supporting the bills, said it is the first time a farmers’ policy has emerged in a long time. He said that in 1991, when the country saw liberalization, it did not carry out agricultural reforms.
He cited the example of Bihar, where the Nitish Kumar government abolished the APMC Act in 2006, yet farmers get a good price for their produce through MSP and farmers are producing more.
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