New Delhi: Within minutes of being introduced in the Rajya Sabha, the Farm Laws Repeal Bill has been passed in the Rajya Sabha without any discussion or debate in the house.
The bill was tabled in the Upper House by Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and after minutes of introduction, the bill was passed in a similar manner as it was passed in Lok Sabha. The bill was approved in both the houses of the Parliament without any discussion, even though the opposition parties kept demanding a debate on the bill. Now, for the bill to become a law, it will be sent to President Ram Nath Kovind for his approval.
After the bill was proposed in the house, Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said called the government's intention to remove the Farm Laws as a "political move" due to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and low performance by BJP in previous by polls across the country. Kharge questioned the timing of the decision to repeal the Farm Laws as the opposition and farmers have been demanding the same for over one year now.
Kharge also demanded the discussion on several incidents that took place during agitation including the Lakhimpur Kheri incident and the electricity bill.
Earlier, Adhir Ranjan Choudhary, the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party in the Lok Sabha, while criticising Centre, said, "the government blames us for not letting the House function. But Farm Laws Repeal Bill 2021 was introduced and passed without discussion."
"The opposition had demanded a discussion on it. Even though the govt has repealed the farm laws, its 'Mann ki Baat' is something else," he said.
Members of the opposition in the lower house flocked to the well, demanding a debate on the three agricultural laws and the necessity for the government to abolish them at this time.
The opposition also requested legal assurance of the Minimum Support Price, which has been protested by farmers for over a year now.