Facing allegations of discreetly joining hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to pass the farm Bills by staging a walkout in the Rajya Sabha, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Monday rushed into firefighting mode, claiming that reports of its complicity are false and misleading.
“Some media reports stating that the NCP supported the passage of the farm Bills are false and misleading. We demanded the formation of a select committee to discuss the Bills further. We strongly oppose the way in which the Bills were passed,” said senior NCP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Praful Patel.
NCP State president Jayant Patil said the Bills have limited the rights of the agricultural produce market committee (APMC). “We have no opposition if the farmers receive benefits from selling their produce outside APMCs. But the NCP firmly believes that farmers must continue to get protection under APMCs,” he said.
Mr. Patil added that his party stands with farmers and in case any modifications are made to laws, they should be in favour of farmers. “Therefore, it is wrong to say that the NCP supported the government on this issue,” he said.
On contract farming, Mr. Patil said farmers in Maharashtra are already exporting bananas and mangoes. “Farmers here are already sending their products to the outside world. This issue mainly concerns farmers in Punjab and Haryana. Contract farming is being seriously opposed to the extent that one of the constituents of the NDA is planning to quit the alliance,” he said.
The Shiv Sena has also come under scanner over its unclear stand on the farm Bills. While the party supported the Bills in the Lok Sabha, it raised objections in the Rajya Sabha.
