BJD opposes farm Bills, says they fail to protect small, marginal farmers
Joining the bandwagon of the Opposition parties in the state, Odisha’s ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which in the past extended its support to the NDA on the floor of the Parliament to pass many “controversial” bills, on Sunday opposed the farm Bills moved in the Rajya Sabha by Union agriculture and farmer welfare minister Narendra Singh Tomar.
The regional party said that the two legislations — the Farmers’ and Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 — fail to provide adequate protection to small and marginal farmers and sharecroppers.
“The farm Bills are largely good in intent but the problem is in implementations and there is a possibility of cartelisation. Are the bills only for big traders? asked BJD MP Amar Patnaik in Rajya Sabha, urging the Union government to consider sending these two bills to the Select Committee.
The Farmers’ and Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 were passed in Lok Sabha on September 17.
The passage of these Bills in Lok Sabha saw protests across the nation with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigning from the Union Cabinet on Thursday in protest against the “anti-farmer” Bills.
The Sunday’s Biju Janata Dal opposition comes as a stark contrast against the regional party’s unflinching support to the NDA on previous occasions.
In the past the Biju Janata Dal supported the Narendra Modi government in passing the Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2017; Triple Talaq Bill, 2019; Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019; and Jammu and Kashmir (Reorganisation) Bill, 2019.