Farmers Movement Archive

Rajya Sabha debates, but no end to Lok Sabha impasse

HRajya Sabha members debated the new farm laws for the second day on Thursday along with the government’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis and the subsequent migrant workers’ crisis.The Upper House debate proceeded smoothly even as the Lok Sabha deadlock continued. Speaker Om Birla called Congress floor leader Adhir Chowdhury and parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi and his deputy Arjun Ram Meghwal for a marathon meeting, seen as a last-ditch effort to salvage the debate in the Lower House where the PM is scheduled to reply at 5pm on Friday.“I want to draw the attention to the farmers’ agitation today, despite the adversities of the weather,” Congress MP Deepender Hooda said in the Rajya Sabha. “There have been 11 rounds of talks with the government. There has been no resolution to the issue, instead 194 farmers have been martyred.”Hooda said the government failed to express a single word of condolence for those who lost their lives.“This government has lost the faith of the people,” he said. Hooda drew Parliament’s attention to the barricades erected by Delhi Police at the borders of the national capital. “Despotism can never defeat democracy. The farmer of a country can never be a serf.”BJP MP Jyotiraditya Scindia lauded the Prime Minister’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis and other challenging issues since he came to power for the second time. “Jammu and Kashmir has been freed from historical chains and over 1.5 crore people have received the benefits of central schemes,” he said. He added that the PM had rolled out visionary reforms. “The Ram mandir will be a symbol of a new and strong India,” Scindia said.Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the PM had taken every crisis head-on. “The mandate of the country has been vested in the PM not once but twice in the national elections. Modi ji has worked for energy justice that the farmers will benefit from,” said Pradhan. “India is also working to develop alternate energy in the form of hydrogen fuel.”Congress MP Digvijay Singh raised the issue of the farm laws and said that democracy was being suppressed in the country. “We respect the mandate you have, but the way in which dissent, which is the backbone of a democracy, is being suppressed in our country is deplorable,” Singh said. “The foisting of cases against farmers, journalists, activists and such needs to stop.”He was backed by Trinamool MP Derek O’Brien who said the government had failed to uphold the sanctity of Parliament. “Members had asked, as is procedure, for the bills to be referred to a select committee, but the government never did that. Political administration is the purview of the Prime Minister and the home minister. This government has failed on many counts, including handling of the Covid-19 crisis and the economy.”O’Brien said he had prepared a draft to repeal the three farms laws.The DMK’s NR Elango said the government was violating the federal structure with the farm laws. “The farm laws occupy the field of the state’s power,” Elango said “The government legislated them in tearing hurry and farmers’ interest was not considered.”The laws, farmers say, will only aid private enterprises and hurt their livelihoods. The opposition has demanded a repeal of all three laws, but the government has agreed to a waiver for 18 months, during which it says the legislation will be re-examined.

Hindustan Times

05-02-2021

India