Farmers Movement Archive

Centre silent on sending farm Bills to committees

The government did not agree to the Opposition demand to send the three agriculture-related Bills and the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill to the parliamentary standing committees. At an informal meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with Opposition leaders from the Rajya Sabha, the government refused to make this commitment. According to sources, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, in a passing reference, said if the Opposition needed more time to debate on various subjects, then the monsoon session must be extended by another five days. Sources also said that the government had so far not agreed for a debate on the border stand-off with China in either House of Parliament. On Tuesday, Congress members staged a walkout when Speaker Om Birla refused to give them an opportunity to seek clarifications. At the informal meeting, the government was also represented by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Leader of the Rajya Sabha Thawarchand Gehlot. From the Opposition, Congress’s Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma and Jairam Ramesh, Trinamool Congress’s Derek O’ Brien, DMK’s Tiruchi Siva, TRS’s K. Keshava Rao, RJD’s Manoj K Jha and CPI(M)’s Elamaram Kareem were present.

The Hindu

2020-09-17

New Delhi