Farmers Movement Archive

Voting on farm laws resolution in House would have exposed BJP-JJP govt in Haryana: Hooda

The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Saturday said Haryana Vidhan Sabha speaker Gian Chand Gupta had committed “illegality” by rejecting the Congress’ plea to first put to vote an official resolution on farm laws before discussion in the House on Friday.Hooda, who is also leader of opposition, said had the speaker allowed voting, it would have brought to fore not only the simmering tension within the Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP-JJP government over the Centre’s three contentious farm laws but also the number of lawmakers supporting and opposing it. Speaking to HT, Hooda said the voting on official resolution hailing the farm laws would have left the government red-faced. “We knew that some JJP MLAs would vote against the government’s resolution,” Hooda said, referring to those who have been openly airing views against the party and the farm laws outside the House.“The lone INLD MLA Abhay Chautala, Independents such as Balraj Kundu and a few others would have backed the Congress in the House. The vote outcome would have been unsettling for the government,” he said, pointing out that pressing for voting was his well thought out plot to ambush the government. On Friday, pandemonium prevailed in the assembly as the Congress did not let the House function after chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar moved an official resolution backing the farm laws. Hooda said his party would have supported the official resolution if the government agreed to Congress’ demand to bring in the fourth law i.e promising Minimum Support Price (MSP). “By refusing our repeated pleas that let there be voting first and discussion afterwards on the official resolution, the speaker committed an illegality,” Hooda said, citing Haryana Vidhan Sabha rule number 183 to back his contention. Asked why the farmers agitation in Haryana against the farm laws was not as intense as it was in Punjab, Hooda accused the state government of crushing the farmers movement. “In Haryana, the agitation against the farm laws is being spearheaded by the farmers and the Congress does not want to politicise it by taking the lead,” he said.

Hindustan Times

07-11-2020

Chandigarh