Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday urged President Ram Nath Kovind to not sign the agriculture reform bills that were recently cleared in the Rajya Sabha, saying the Centre is misleading farmers of the country.
We urge the President not to sign the farm bills that were passed in Parliament in an unconstitutional manner. We also demand that the NDA government takes back these black legislations and ensure ‘one nation, one market and one price’,” Bhupesh Baghel said, according to news agency ANI.
The Congress leader also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet ministers for “misleading farmers”. “PM Modi, his cabinet colleagues and BJP leaders are saying that farmers can now sell their agriculture produce anywhere. I want to ask them: when were farmers not allowed to sell their produces as per their wish? They’re misleading farmers,” the chief minister said.
On September 20, the Rajya Sabha passed the two key farm bills – Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. During the agriculture reform bills debate, the upper house witnessed ruckus as several opposition parties raised a strong objection.
PM Modi on Sunday once again hailed the passage of the bills on his Mann Ki Baat radio programme, saying it has empowered the country’s farmers.
“One who is grounded stays firm even during the biggest storms. During these tough times of corona, our farm sector, our farmers are a living example of this. Even during this crisis, our agricultural sector has again shown its prowess. Our farmers, farm sector, villages, are the foundation of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. If they are strong, the foundation of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India)’ will be strong,” PM Modi said.
