Farmers Movement Archive

Kerala: Special assembly session to discuss new farm laws

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state cabinet, on Monday, decided to ask the governor to convene a one-day session of the assembly on Wednesday to discuss the news farm laws passed by the Centre and pass a resolution against them. The assembly will only convene for an hour, in which only the leaders of legislative party would speak. A resolution will be moved against the farm laws against which farmers are holding a protest in New Delhi, namely Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. As the ruling front (LDF) and the opposition (UDF) are already against the new farm laws, the assembly is likely to pass a near-unanimous resolution against these laws. Since BJP has only a single member in the assembly, it is unclear whether the member would record his opposition against the resolution or stay away from the session. The cabinet had earlier discussed the matter and had entrusted the state planning board to prepare a detailed report on the requirements and shortcomings of farmers. The agriculture department had also compiled the representations from various farmer organizations in state and handed it over to the planning board. The government will take a call, on whether to approach the Supreme Court against the farm laws on the basis of the report. In a similar manner, when the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 was passed by the Parliament, the state assembly had passed a resolution against the Act, becoming the first state to do so, by convening a special one-day session of the assembly. The lone dissenter against the resolution, BJP’s O Rajagopal, had then asked the speaker against taking up the resolution that was passed by both the houses of Parliament.

The Times of India

2020-12-22

Thiruvananthapuram