The All India Congress Committee Andhra Pradesh in-charge and former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said that the three farm sector laws passed by the NDA government were a violation of the spirit of the Constitution. “None of the States was consulted before the introduction of the Bills, which is against the Constitution,” Mr. Chandy opined.
Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, before participating in a ‘tractor rally’ to oppose the passing of the Bills, which according to him benefited only the corporates and took away the right of the individual States to legislate on agricultural issues as it is a State subject.
Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Sake Sailajanath and working president Narreddy Tulasi Reddy participated in the rally here, which culminated at Collector office.
‘Adverse effects’
The AICC leader said the Farming Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act gave impetus to contract farming. A large number of farmer suicides continued and in the absence of a Minimum Support Price and a buying mechanism at the regulated marketyards, farmers would be the losers, he said.
“The Congress has been asking all non-BJP States to reject the farm laws and amend them like the Punjab and Rajasthan governments, and our leader Rahul Gandhi had been visiting many States to stand for the farmers’ rights and bring awareness among them on the dangers of the three laws enacted recently. This is one of the nation-wide agitations,” Mr. Chandy said.
There was no effective crop insurance in place anywhere hitting farmers very hard. In future too an MSP would be announced only if the prices fell drastically, he pointed out detailing the provisions of the new laws.
