Congress seeks special session of Haryana Assembly to discuss farm Bills

The opposition Congress on Friday sought a special session of the Haryana Assembly to discuss the “impact and ramifications” of three farm-related Bills passed by the Lok Sabha.

Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said his party will move a resolution against the legislations when the assembly session is convened.

Led by Hooda, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, a delegation of Haryana Congress MLAs submitted a memorandum to Satyadev Narayan Arya in this regard.

“We request you to recommend to the Union government not to pursue the Bills recently passed in the Lok Sabha as these are against the interest of millions of small and marginal farmers,” the Congress said in the memorandum.

“We request you to convene a special session to discuss the impact and ramifications of these legislations,” the party added.

The Congress said any move to “disturb” the present procurement system may deepen “social unrest" amongst farmers of the state”.

“We urge upon the government to review and reconsider these measures as these are unlikely to deliver on the promises made to them. Agri-marketing should be left to the states as envisaged in the Constitution," the party said.

Talking to reporters later, Hooda said Haryana farmers are facing an existential crisis due to the three “black laws”, which will “take away” the protection provided to them.

It is important that all parties raise their voice in the interest of the state's farmers, he said, adding that they will not allow the implementation of the legislations in Haryana.

A resolution should be passed in the assembly as agriculture and related market systems are in the jurisdiction of the state and the assembly has the legal and moral right to discuss these and ensure the will of people, the former CM stressed.

“Laws that dismantle the existing market system and take away MSP guarantees are not acceptable to people and farmers of the state. Also, a bill should be brought in the assembly, in which farmers should be guaranteed MSP,” Hooda said.

“If a private agency buys a crop from farmer for less than the MSP, then it should be made a punishable offence,” he added, stressing that the price of produce should be calculated on the C-2 formula covering the labour, operational, capital, storage, transport and other charges as per the Swaminathan Commission.

The Congress leader also lashed out at the JJP, the alliance partner of the BJP in the state, saying if the party was farmer friendly, they should have parted ways by now.

“It is clear that they are more interested in staying in power than fighting for the rights of farmers,” he alleged.

Hooda said his party had given adjournment and calling attention proposals to discuss three “anti-farmer" ordinances promulgated earlier in the monsoon session of the assembly last month but the government denied discussion, citing that the chief minister, speaker and several MLAs tested positive for coronavirus.

He said the ordinances promulgated earlier were “direct encroachment upon the functions of the state and against the spirit of cooperative federalism”.

The Congress said leaving millions of small and marginal farmers at the “mercy” of traders, increases the threat of harmful practices by traders.

“The easing of regulations on foodgrains under the Essential Commodities Act allows exporters, processors or traders to hold large stocks of farm produce without limits," the party said.

Here again, private players will prefer to buy the produce in the harvesting season when prices are generally low and will release it later when prices come up, read the memorandum.