Amidst the growing controversies around the farm ordinances, President Ram Nath Kovind gives his assent to the three bills on Sunday.
The three farm bills – Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020, which experience widespread dissent across states of Punjab and Haryana have finally got a nod by the President.
Also Read | AGRICULTURE BILLS 2020 – A BOON OR A BANE?
President’s nod comes a day after BJP’s oldest ally Siromani Akali Dal decided to quit BJP-led alliance, National Democratic Alliance (NDA). SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, said, “The Shiromani Akali Dal has decided to pull out of the NDA alliance because of the Centre’s stubborn refusal to give statutory legislative guarantees to protect assured marketing of farmers’ crops on MSP.”
Earlier, he had also requested the President to not give assent to the ordinances as the farmers will not forgive him in that case. Urging President of India not to sign the Bills on-farm issues & return them to Parliament for reconsideration. Please intervene on behalf of farmers, labourers, arhtiyas, mandi labour & Dalits, or they will never forgive us.
Democracy means consensus, not oppression. A sad day for democracy indeed if it leads to ‘annadata’ starving or sleep on roads. 2/2#ParliamentSession #AgricultureBills
— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) September 20, 2020
These three bills have triggered protests not only by the opposition but also by farmers in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. Thousands of farmers blocked roads and observed ‘Bharat Bandh’ on Friday to show dissent.
A ruckus was caused even in Rajya Sabha last week as the House passed the farm bills. Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O’Brien charged towards the podium, tried to tear the rule book, and allegedly attempted to snatch the microphone of the Deputy Chairman as a mark of protest.
Union Minister Rajnath Singh in his press conference over the farm bills condemned the ruckus created by Opposition MPs and called it “extremely painful and shameful”.
.){kind=link}