Farmers Movement Archive

Don’t make farm laws a prestige issue, says Azad

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad appealed to the government not to make the ‘confrontation’ with farmers a prestige issue and called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself to make an announcement repealing the disputed farm laws. He condemned the violence at the Red Fort on January 26 during the farmers’ tractor rally. After a washout on Tuesday, the Rajya Sabha functioned smoothly on Wednesday barring a six-minute-long adjournment forced by sloganeering Aam Aadmi Party members after the Treasury benches and the Opposition came to an understanding on suspending Question Hour and Zero Hour to discuss the Motion of thanks to the President’s address. Speaking in Mr. Modi’s presence, Mr. Azad, who is the Leader of the Opposition, said that no government in the past had benefited from fighting farmers, and cited instances when even the British government had to bow to farmers’ movement. He also raised the issue of registration of cases under stringent provisions against leading journalists and his party colleague Shashi Tharoor. Earlier in the day, despite the consensus arrived at between the government and the Opposition, three AAP members continued with their protest, walking into the well of the House raising slogans. Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu, quoting Rule 255 for withdrawal of members for gross disorderly conduct, had them removed from the House. Sanjay Singh, Sushil Kumar Gupta and Narain Dass Gupta were marshalled out. DMK’s Tiruchi Siva objected to how the farm Bills were passed in the Rajya Sabha in the last session. Mr. Naidu said all processes were followed and all parties were allotted time to debate the laws.

The Hindu

2021-02-04

NEW DELHI