Sonia Gandhi urges Congress-ruled states to bypass Centre’s tyrannical farm laws

Last updated on February 17th, 2023 at 12:02 pm

On Monday, Congress President, Sonia Gandhi, urged her party members, especially those in power, running the state governments, to bypass Centre’s recently passed farms laws. It is very much within the rights of state governments to apply or not apply a particular law in a respective state. She condemned the farms legislations as tyrannical, “anti-agricultural laws” and appealed the Congress-ruled states to reject the law to prevent this “grave injustice” being done to farmers.

“Congress President has advised the Congress-ruled states to explore the possibilities to pass laws in their respective states under Article 254(2) of the Constitution which allows the state legislatures to pass a law to negate the Anti-Agriculture Central laws encroaching upon State’s jurisdiction under the Constitution,” the party said in a statement. Some states including Punjab, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, witnessed strong opposition from farmers against the new Central laws.

The party said, “This (states passing laws negating Central legislations) would enable the states to bypass the unacceptable anti-farmers’ provisions in the three draconian Agricultural law including the abolition of MSP and disruption of APMCs in Congress ruled states.”

Besides, the statement issued by AICC general secretary KC Venugopal said. “This would also alleviate the farmers from the grave injustice done by the Modi Government and BJP.”

Despite days of protests all across the country, President Kovind on Sunday signed to the three contested farm bills passed during Monsoon session in Parliament last week. The three farm bills, now laws, which triggered quite some unrest in the nation, especially in Punjab and Haryanaare: The Farmers’ 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. The ruling government said that the these laws would empower farmers, allowing them to sell their produce anywhere in the country, wherever they could fetch at a better price. It looks like a classic free market move, which many analyst are skeptical about saying that it would do more harm to the farmers than good as corporates would gain upper hand the negotiation.

The leading opposition party also announced that it would observe ‘Kisan-Mazdoor Bachao Divas’ on October 2 by holding protests and marches outside every assembly and district headquarters across the country. PM Narendra Modi condemned the protests led by Congress. During the inauguration of new development projects in Uttarakhand through video-conferencing, on Tuesday, Modi said, “Several reforms, related to farmers, labourers and health, were brought during the recently concluded Parliament session. These reforms will strengthen labourers, youth, women, farmers of the nation. But the nation can see how some people are opposing it just for the sake of it.”

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