A week after the Maharashtra government introduced amendments to the three farm laws passed by the Centre, the State unit of All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) on Saturday termed it disappointing and said that making cosmetic changes to the clauses would not overturn the pro-corporate, anti-farmer motives behind the enactment of these laws.
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The farmers’ body has reiterated that the demand is to repeal the laws and not to bring amendments, and the tripartite Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government needs to take an unequivocal stand to repeal the three Central Farm Acts.
The AIKSCC said in a statement: “The state government is trying to bring new farm laws in Maharashtra by making some changes to the controversial farm laws enacted by the central government. However, making amendments to the draft of the central laws will not change the purpose behind the enactment of laws nor will it change the anti-farmer and corporate character of the laws.”
The farmers’ body said that the State government should not rush to enact the laws, even if with amendments. “The farmers’ agitation is still on. The Supreme Court has stayed the implementation of these laws. They have not been adequately discussed in the public domain, especially among farmers’ organizations and farmers. In such a scenario, it is unseemly for the state government to be in such a hurry about this process,” it said.
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Recalling the seven-month-long farmers’ struggle, the AIKSCC said that all three parties in the Maharashtra government (the Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress Party) had from time to time expressed support for the farmers’ movement. “Now that the farmers’ fight against these laws has reached a decisive turn, the government needs to take a firm and clear stand by passing a resolution in the state legislature against the central Farm Acts,” it said.
The State government introduced three farm laws with amendments in the recently concluded monsoon session of the State legislature. The Bill to amend Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Service Act, 2020 presented by the State’s Agriculture Minister Dadaji Bhuse, stated that the farming agreement shall not be valid unless the price paid to the farmer was equal to or greater than the Minimum Support Price. The State government also introduced punitive action against traders cheating farmers.