Farm bills will help farmers get a better price for their produce, the government says. (File)
New Delhi:
Three agriculture-related bills, which were passed in Lok Sabha amid farmer protests and departures from the opposition, will be discussed in Rajya Sabha today. The congressional-led opposition is trying to pull together the numbers to take down the three pieces of legislation, which it says are “anti-farmer.” The ruling BJP, with the backing of its NDA allies and a few “friendly” parties, should have the edge if the bills go to a vote. Passage of the bills in the lower house had led to the exit of the only representative of longtime BJP ally Akali Dal from the Union cabinet. The bills have sparked massive protests in agriculture-dependent states, where farmers fear losing their livelihoods.
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The three bills are: the Farmers’ Agreement (Empowerment and Protection) on Price Insurance and Agricultural Services; the Agricultural Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill; and the Essential Products (Amendment) Bill. Almost all of the opposition parties are calling for bills to be sent to the House select committee.
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The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is expected to have around 105 votes in the upper house, which currently has an absolute membership of 243. Two seats are vacant and the majority is set at 122. The Congress-led opposition is expected to have around 100. Around 32 MPs from various parties – such as the YSR Congress, AIADMK and BJD – are likely to play a crucial role today.
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The BJP has issued a three-line whip to all of its Rajya Sabha MPs to be present in the House. “The agricultural bills are for the benefit of the farmers and they will also go through Rajya Sabha,” said BJP MP Rajya Sabha. The BJP alone has 86 members or votes. With his NDA allies, he can count on 105. However, he cannot count on three Akali MPs, who were given a three-line whip to vote against the bills, signaling a U-turn for a party. who originally supported the laws. Despite this, the BJP believes it is in pole position to win any votes that might be called on the farm bills.
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The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), which previously provided problem-based government support, asked its seven members to vote against the bills. TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao has called the legislation “sugar-coated pills” that will do great injustice to the country’s agricultural sector.
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10 MPs have tested positive for the coronavirus and will not be at Rajya Sabha today. Fifteen other MPs, including Congressman Chidambaram – who criticized Prime Minister Modi on Saturday morning over the bills – will not be present for health reasons. This should help the BJP as it brings down the majority mark. AIADMK with nine deputies has already announced its support for the bill.
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The congressional-led opposition, on the other hand – which includes 13 congressmen from Trinamool and seven from the DMK – will be back for today’s showdown. The Congress itself has 40 seats and can count on a few others – like the BSP (four seats), the Samajwadi Party (eight seats) and the ruling AAP in Delhi (three seats).
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More annoying for the opposition, the Shiv Sena – with which Congress formed a tripartite government in Maharashtra – said its three MPs would support the bills despite dramatic fallout with the BJP after the Assembly elections l ‘last year. The BJP, sources added, also contacted the PCN – the third member of this alliance – which has four seats.
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The government said the bills will help small and marginal farmers by allowing them to sell their products competitively across India. Farmers fear this will eliminate the Minimum Support Price (MSP). Prime Minister Modi on Friday denounced an opposition campaign of “disinformation” about the MSP.
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Since the Modi government took office for the second time in 2019, opposition parties have not been able to block any of its major bills due to a rise in the ranks of the Treasury benches and a corresponding drop in the ranks of the opposition.
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The monsoon session of parliament is expected to be cut short due to fears over the coronavirus pandemic. The Lok Sabha is scheduled to end on Wednesday and the Rajya Sabha will follow. Twenty-five MPs (10 from Rajya Sabha) have tested positive for the virus so far, raising concerns that it is spreading further.
With contributions from agencies
