Rajasthan is likely to become the second Congress-ruled State after Punjab to formally reject the Centre’s farm Acts being opposed by large sections of agriculturists across the country. A special session of the State Assembly will be convened shortly to discuss the impact of the contentious laws on farmers.
Also read: Punjab passes its own three agriculture Bills
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said here on Wednesday that an Amendment Bill would be brought in the Assembly to nullify the applicability of the Central legislations, and a resolution adopted against the Centre’s stand on the issue of farmers’ welfare. The Council of Ministers took the decision to call the Assembly session at its meeting held here.
Mr. Gehlot said Rajasthan would follow suit after the passage of Bills against the Central statutes in the Punjab Assembly. “The Congress stands resolutely with our annadata s (food providers) and will continue to oppose the anti-farmer laws passed by the NDA government,” he tweeted.
The Council of Ministers laid emphasis on a mandatory provision for procurement of agricultural produce at minimum support prices (MSP). It observed that the removal of ceiling on the stock of farm commodities in normal circumstances under the Essential Commodities Act after the implementation of new agricultural laws would lead to an increase in black marketing, hoarding and price rise.
Also read: Punjab farm Bills provides for minimum 3 years imprisonment on sale-purchase below MSP
The meeting also deliberated on the restoration of powers for settlement of disputes in crop procurement by the civil courts. The State government had last month issued an order extending the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee Act, 1961, to the entire State in order to regulate private entities buying produce directly from the farmers.
In another tweet, Mr. Gehlot lashed out at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president J.P. Nadda over his remarks on the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Mr. Gehlot said the BJP’s insistence on implementing CAA had led to communal tension even before the COVID-19 pandemic started.
Also read: Explainer | Why are the Agriculture Bills being opposed
“Now, when the corona situation is still very serious, they want to stoke tensions again. It is time to overcome the crises the nation is facing unitedly and not disrupt peace and communal harmony,” Mr. Gehlot said.
