Farmers across India protested against the centre’s new farm laws (File)
New Delhi:
Congress-led states are set to hold special sessions of the assembly to pass a bill to postpone the implementation of the three controversial farm laws that were approved by the center last month and which sparked massive protests in all the countries.
A draft version of the bill, drafted by the central party leadership and sent to the states it heads, sets out two provisions. The first allows the state government to decide the date of implementation of the laws of the center. The second ensures that contract farming between the farmer and any business, or aggregator, cannot take place below a minimum support price (MSP).
It is not clear at this time whether states where Congress holds power in an alliance with other parties – such as Maharashtra and Jharkhand – will hold similar special sessions, or whether states ruled by non-governments. Congress and non-BJP – like Kerala and Bengal – will follow.
It is important to note that these bills, once passed by each state, must be approved by President Ram Nath Kovind. The president can refuse to sign them, but will have to explain this refusal.
The proposed provisions directly target two of Congress’ main complaints about the new laws: they ban PSM for farmers and open them (especially the most vulnerable marginal small farmers) to the predatory instincts of corporations and large private actors.
Rahul Gandhi denounced “black laws” and said Congress would repeal them once in power
Congress, along with other opposition parties, launched violent protests; this morning, Rahul Gandhi was in Moga, Punjab, where he warned farmers against the Narendra Modi government’s plan to destroy them and said Congress would repeal “black laws” at the earliest opportunity.
The center, however, insisted that the laws give farmers the ability to sell their produce to markets and prices they choose. Prime Minister Narendra Modi verbally assured the farmers that they could continue to benefit from an MSP and that the government would buy food grains at that price.
However, thousands of farmers are still not convinced and have called for clauses guaranteeing PSM and protecting weaker members of their community from the dangers of contract farming.
Last month, Acting Congressional Leader Sonia Gandhi called on party-led states “to explore possibilities to pass laws … that allow state legislatures to … deny central anti -Agriculture”.
“This would allow states to circumvent unacceptable anti-farmer provisions in the three draconian farm laws … would also relieve farmers of the grave injustice committed by the Modi government and the BJP,” Congress said in its statement.
The constitutional rule mentioned by Ms. Gandhi in this statement authorizes state legislatures to enforce laws “contrary to the law of Parliament” if they obtain presidential approval.
In 2015, then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley advised states to take the same path to circumvent a land acquisition law passed by Congress when he was in power – between 2004 and 2014 .
