Farmers hold up posters during a rally following the approval of agriculture bills in Lok Sabha in Amritsar on Friday. (AFP)
BJP leaders expressed confidence that they will gain the support of more than 130 members, including nine from AIADMK and six from YSR Congress, who are not part of the ruling alliance if a division of votes is sought on these bills. .
- News18.com New Delhi
- Last update: September 20, 2020 12:02 PM M. IST
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A major political drama is expected on Sunday, as Rajya Sabha is likely to adopt three agricultural bills, with Congress and many opposition parties trying to put up a united front to oppose these proposed legislation, calling them anti-farmers and Pro-corporate, even as the ruling BJP is also reaching out to various regional teams for support.
However, the numbers appear to be in favor of the ruling dispensation for Rajya Sabha to pass these bills, while the lower house has already passed them despite the fact that a key NDA member, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), opposes them.
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 bills. While the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) does not yet have a clear majority of its own in the 245-member Rajya Sabha, many regional parties have backed it in recent sessions to ensure passage of various government-proposed legislation. .
BJP leaders expressed confidence that they will gain the support of more than 130 members, including nine from the AIADMK and six from the YSR Congress, who are not part of the ruling alliance if a division of votes is sought on these bills. Another regional party, Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), was also being courted by the BJP, but its boss and Telangana Prime Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday asked his party’s MPs to vote against these draft bills. law, claiming that they would cause great injustice to farmers.
The BJP itself has the highest tally with 86 seats, followed by 40 from Congress. All three SAD members will likely vote against the bills, but Shiv Sena, a former BJP ally and now in opposition, has voiced his support. The Maharashtra party has three members in Rajya Sabha. Several other regional parties, including the three-member Aam Aadmi Party, the Samajwadi Party with eight seats and the BSP with four, have joined the ranks of the opposition in protest against these bills, but it may not be enough to hinder their approval.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s energetic defense of the three bills and harsh criticism of the opposition for protesting against them on Thursday made it clear that he remains unfazed by the opposition and that his government will press ahead to gain the go-ahead from Parliament. for these measures aimed at opening avenues for farmers to sell their products. Modi’s claim came even as Congress and several other parties came out vigorously against these bills, calling them “anti-farmers.”
Farmers in states like Punjab and Haryana have been protesting against these proposed laws that their leaders allege will end up dismantling their existing government-backed support system. Various parties that have spoken out against these bills suggest that as of now, nearly 100 MPs oppose them. There is no clarity on the position of some small parties that have around a dozen members together.
Since Modi’s government took office for the second time in 2019, his rivals have been unable to scuttle any of his major bills due to a surge in the ranks of treasury banks and a corresponding drop in the ranks of treasury banks. the opposition. The Agricultural Products Trade and Trade (Promotion and Facilitation) bill and the Farmers’ Agreement (Empowerment and Protection) on Price Guarantee and Agricultural Services were approved by Lok Sabha on Thursday, while the Essential Products Bill (Amendment) passed on Tuesday.
These bills seek to replace ordinances already enacted by the government. With opposition parties calling the three bills “anti-farmers” and SAD resigning its government to protest against them, Modi refuted their criticism, describing these proposed laws as “historic” and stating that they will free farmers. by allowing them to sell their products anywhere. at a better price.
A day after resigning from the Union Cabinet, senior SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal said she is “saddened” that her voice in support of farmers was not heard and demanded that the government pause in these legislations by forwarding them to a parliamentary panel for further consultation.
The government has presented these bills as favorable to farmers, saying that they will ensure that they get better prices for their products and are not subject to “mandis” regulations. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said in Lok Sabha that farmers will be free to sell their products to anyone and these bills will increase competition and promote private investment, which will help the development of agricultural infrastructure and generate job.
However, opposition parties have criticized the bills as “anti-farmers”, claiming that the agricultural sector will be left to the fate of corporate interests. Delhi’s Chief Minister and AAP Leader Arvind Kejriwal also called on all non-BJP parties to unite in Rajya Sabha and oppose the bills that he claimed would leave the farmers in the hands of large companies for their exploitation.
(With PTI inputs)
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