Skip to main content

Farm laws: Sonia calls for unity, discipline amidst 'worries' of opposition failure

By Our Representative

Close on the heels of the Supreme Court suspending the three farm laws and appointing a four-person committee to open dialogue with the Government of India and farmer leaders for finding a solution to the powerful resistance to them, 10 opposition parties came together on a civil society organisation (CSO) platform to  express unanimous solidarity with the farmers’ struggle for the repeal of the laws.
Speaking at the CSO-sponsored virtual Janta Parliament’s kisan session with political representatives, political leaders agreed that a special Parliament meet should be convened to discuss legalisation of minimum support price (MSP) as well as other aspects of the current agrarian crisis. 
A suggestion was made that two or three days could be set aside during the budget session, starting on January 29, exclusively for this. August last year, CSOs held six virtual Janata Parliament sessions, one of them being on agriculture.  
Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who sent a message to the virtual Janta Parliament, insisted on the need for “unity, discipline and commitment” to combat forces that are "inflicting untold suffering on kisans and khet mazdoors" through the three laws. 
Assuring that the Congress would take up the farmers’ issue at the upcoming Parliament session, she said, the Congress-led state assemblies “have already passed laws that reject the farms laws passed by the Central government.” She added, “The Constitution permits this. We will continue to press for their approval according to Constitutional provisions. Undoubtedly, the Prime Minister will place hurdles on our way but we will persevere.”
Commenting on the formation of the Supreme Court committee to open a dialogue on the farm laws, speakers at the Janta Parliament wondered why shouldn’t the government go in for implementing decisions of previous committees. A report already by the Swaminathan Committee already exists. The government needs to implement it report.
K Raju and Rajeev Gowda of the Indian National Congress said,  the party supports the demand for a legal MSP that is backed by procurement. Dipankar Bhattacharya of CPI-ML asserted, there should be repeal and not a pause of the farms laws. He added, the public distribution system must be universalised to ensure food security as well as higher procurement of crops by the government.
D Raja of CPI said that the real purpose of the three farm laws is to serve the corporates. Sukhendu Sekhar Roy of the Trinamool Congress underlined, Parliament was undermined while passing the three laws, adding, agriculture is essentially a state subject and these laws intrude upon the states' jurisdiction. 
Journalist-activist P Sainath pleaded for formation of Save Farmer, Save Nation committees to organise ground-level boycott of products by corporates that harm farmers
Prof Manoj K Jha of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), one of the parties that has gone to the Supreme Court over the farm laws, regretted, governments around the world have taken advantage of the pandemic, adding, the opposition parties have not done enough as they have still not got out of their comfort zones to resist the various autocratic measures taken by the government. He announced, on January 30, in Bihar, RJD and other opposition parties will be forming a human chain to oppose the farm laws.
Dr D Ravikumar, MP from the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi party said due to the way that the Parliament was organised during the pandemic, there wasn’t sufficient time to discuss the farm laws, adding, some of them were getting time to address the Parliament at midnight. Ghanshyam Tiwari of the Samajwadi Party added, Amazon and other online marts will soon be selling farmers’ produce along with Adanis and Ambanis at the backend.
Sitaram Yechury of CPI(M) said that his party stands with the farmers’ position to not talk to any committee. He asked, if consultations are being held now, what was the need to pass these laws in a truncated session of Parliament without a proper vote? He said that the government – and not any committee – must speak to the farmers and all other stakeholders and then bring any new laws.
Former member of Sonia Gandhi-formed National Advisory Council under UPA-1, Aruna Roy, a Right to Information activist, asked political parties present at the Janta Parliament to spread awareness about the three farm laws via their district level committees, adding, political parties should ask the Gram Sabhas to pass a resolution to repeal the three farm laws on January 26. 
Journalist-activist P Sainath, who specialises on rural issues, pleaded for the formation of ‘Save Farmer, Save Nation’ committees and organise a ground-level boycott of the products by corporates which are directly harming the farmers.

Comments

Anonymous said…
It is difficult to understand how the B team (Sonia bahen) of the BJP is asking for opposition unity

TRENDING

Avoidable Narmada floods: Modi birthday fete caused long wait for release of dam waters

Counterview Desk  Top advocacy group, South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), has accused the Sardar Sarovar dam operators for once again acting in an "unaccountable" manner, bringing "avoidable floods in downstream Gujarat."  In a detailed analysis, SANDRP has said that the water level at the Golden Bridge in Bharuch approached the highest flood level on September 17, 2023, but these "could have been significantly lower and much less disastrous" both for the upstream and downstream areas of the dam, if the authorities had taken action earlier based on available actionable information.

Biden urged to warn Modi: US can declare India as worst religious freedom offender

By Our Representative  During a Congressional Briefing held on Capitol Hill, Washington DC, Nadine Maenza, former Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), has wondered why the Biden administration should raise issues of mass anti-minority mob violence  -- particularly in Haryana and Manipur -- with Modi. Modi should be told that if such violence continues, the US will be “compelled by law” to designate India as one of the world’s worst offenders of religious freedom, she urged.

From 'Naatu-Naatu' to 'Nipah-Nipah': Dancing to the tune of western pipers?

By Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD*  Some critics have commented that the ecstatic response of most Indians to the Oscar for the racy Indian song, “Naatu-Naatu” from the film, “RRR” reeks of sheer racism, insulting visuals and a colonial hangover. It was perhaps these ingredients that impressed the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, one critic says.

Why iconic Urdu book stall, publishing house Maktaba Jamia died an 'unnatural' death

By Firoz Bakht Ahmed*  We have all grown through the fragrant flavours and flairs of our childhood, one of them being our childhood mother-tongue historic magazines like, “Thakurmar Jhuli” (Bengali), “Khilauna”, Payam-e-Taleem" (Urdu), “Hans” (Marathi), “Parag” (Hindi), “Chitralekha” (Gujarati), “Chandamama” (Telugu), etc. I “drank” Urdu while suckling his mother and learnt the language not from any madrasa, school or college but from these publications only — my treasure trove!

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Asset managers hold '2.8 times more equity' in fossil fuel cos than in green investments

By Deepanwita Gita Niyogi*  The world’s largest asset managers are far off track to meet the  2050 net zero commitments , a new study  released by InfluenceMap , a London-based think tank working on climate change and sustainability, says. Released on August 1, the Asset Managers and Climate Change 2023 report by FinanceMap, a work stream of InfluenceMap, finds that the world’s largest asset managers have not improved on their climate performance in the past two years.

Evading primary responsibility, ONGC decides to invest Rs 15,000 crore in sick subsidiary

By NS Venkataraman*  It is reported that Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) will infuse about Rs 15,000 crore in ONGC Petro-additions Ltd (OPaL) as part of a financial restructuring exercise. ONGC currently holds 49.36 per cent stake in (OPaL), which operates a mega petrochemical plant at Dahej in Gujarat. GAIL (India) Ltd has 49.21 per cent interest and Gujarat State Petrochemical Corporation (GSPC) has the remaining 1.43 per cent.

Why Bangladesh is achieving 'new heights' amidst economic collapse of Pakistan

By Sufian Siddique*  Pakistan's economy is on the brink of bankruptcy like Sri Lanka's. Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves have fallen below $3 billion. They have asked the IMF for a 'bailout loan' a long time ago, but the IMF is trying to impose strict conditions that Pakistan's current ruling coalition has no capacity to meet. Even China and Saudi Arabia, Pakistan's long-standing loyal friends, are now reluctant to shoulder Pakistan's burden.

Sales, profits of Indian firms 'deteriorate', yet no significant increase in cost pressures

By Our Representative  The Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad's (IIM-A's) latest Business Inflation Expectations Survey (BIES), a monthly exercise, has said that while cost perceptions data does not indicate significant increase of cost pressures, sales and profits of the Indian firms have deteriorated.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".