Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin moves resolution in Assembly against farm laws

Chief Minister MK Stalin. Pic/IANS

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday moved a resolution in the Assembly urging the Central government to revoke the three farm laws as they are affecting the farmers' interest. Opposing the move, the BJP members walked out of the House.

Moving the resolution in the Assembly, Stalin said the three farm laws are against the farmers and would destroy agriculture. He said the farm laws are also against the principle of federalism and taking away the powers of the states, adding that the erstwhile AIADMK government did not bring such a resolution.

The three laws are: The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act.

For close to a year, farmers from across the country have been protesting against the three farm laws. He added that the laws are beneficial for the corporates and not for the farmers, and that they are silent on the minimum support price (MSP) for the farmers for their produce. He also said the government had presented a separate Budget for agriculture this year. Tamil Nadu's Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare MRK Panneerselvam while presenting the state's first budget for agriculture recently had said it was dedicated to the farmers protesting in Delhi against the three farms laws.

Meanwhile, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday alleged that the three farm laws were framed to benefit the BJP's billionaire friends. Citing a report on Adani reducing apple procurement rates in Himachal Pradesh by Rs 16 which has led to a distress in the markets, she alleged this would happen if the right to decide rates of farmer's produce is given to "billionaire friends" of the ruling party. "Why are the farmers opposing the three ‘black' farm laws? Because if the right to decide the price and other things for crops grown by the hard work of farmers is given to BJP's billionaire friends, then this will happen," she said. The Congress has been supporting the farmers' agitation.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever