The two bills, the Agricultural Products Trade and Trade (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmers’ Price Guarantee and Agricultural Services (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement, 2020, will now be sent to the President for approval, setting the stage for a protracted political confrontation that appears to spread to the streets in northern states.
In addition to known opponents, the bill was rejected by BJP ally the Shiromani Akali Dal, TRS and BJD who, on rare occasions, decided to vote “no”.
The bill, however, was backed by AIADMK and YRSCP, as well as smaller Northeast parties and could have passed the numbers test if there had been one. The government’s task would have been favored by the decrease in the numbers in the opposition seats with many members removed due to Covid-19 and the tactical ambiguity of parties such as BSP, NCP and Shiv Sena.
The three parties expressed reservations about certain provisions of the bills, but without showing the vehemence that marked the response of Congress, TMC, DMK, AAP, SAD and the Left. In fact, opposition floor managers came to terms with the prospect of all three staying away from a vote.
In the case, however, a vote could not be held with the opposition demanding that the bills be sent to the Rajya Sabha select committee for detailed scrutiny and the headcount be postponed. With the House in total chaos as members of Congress, Trinamool, and AAP stormed the House shaft and moved to the podium to force Vice President Harivansh to go ahead with the vote, the House had to be postponed.
The two bills were declared approved by oral vote as opponents persisted with protests after the resumption.
While the bills, aimed at liberalizing agricultural trade by ending the monopoly of the mandi and loosening the control of the “arhatiyas” or intermediaries over the trade in agricultural products, will become law, the government will face protests outside of Parliament. While Congress is ready to intensify its protest in Punjab, Haryana and in the immediate vicinity of the national capital, several agricultural organizations have called for a protest that begins with a dharna on September 25.
Nor did the government flinch from a fight. It has already launched a full-scale counteroffensive, branding Congress and other parties opposing the bills as proxy representatives, while denying the opposition’s charge that the soon-to-be-enacted laws will spell the end of the pricing scheme. minimum support.
In response to the opposition’s concerns, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar made it clear that these laws will in no way affect the procurement of crops through the MSP mechanism. “Mandis will not stop working and trading will continue as before,” he said. The minister also said that under contract farming, the farmer will have full power to set the sale price of his choice and will receive full payment within three days.
Congress and other opposition parties criticized the government for the measure “against farmers.” Congressman Partap Singh Bajwa said this would serve as a “death sentence” for farmers. Referring to the protests of farmers in some states, Bajwa said: “Those whom you want to benefit are in the streets.” He said that the two bills were against the economic interests of Punjab, which has done much to make India self-sufficient in food grain production.
SAD MP Naresh Gujral warned the BJP not to take farmers’ protests lightly. “Do not think that the farmers of Punjab are weak, all Punjabis are children of our gurus and from them we have learned to sacrifice ourselves and face oppression,” he said.
KK Ragesh (CPI), Derek O’Brien (TMC), Tiruchi Siva (DMK) and KC Venugopal (Congress) presented resolutions to send the bills to a select committee of the House for consideration.
Former HD Prime Minister Deve Gowda, who was sworn in as a member of JD (S) in the Upper House on Sunday, cited how he had always been a strong supporter of poor farmers and suggested forming a permanent commission to advise the government on the MSP. and other matters. .
Defending the two bills, Bhupendra Yadav of the BJP asked Congress why farmers’ incomes did not increase in the last 60-70 years, even as the country became self-sufficient in agricultural production. “These two important bills are the biggest agricultural reforms in the country and will do justice to farmers by increasing their incomes,” Yadav said. He said a report from a working group on agricultural production in 2010 suggested similar reforms against monopoly institutions.
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