Monsoon Session 2020: The Rajya Sabha session on Sunday began with the war of words over the three contentious farm bills. While the ruling party kept its stand that the agriculture bills are for the benefit of the farmers,  Congress today stepped up its attack on the Centre over the issue and accused it of "running away" from giving legal responsibility for the Minimum Support Price (MSP).


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Days after their passage in the Lok Sabha, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar introduced the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 in the Rajya Sabha.

Tomar said minimum price or MSP based procurement of agriculture crops from farmers will continue and is not related to the farm bills that seek to give cultivators freedom to market their produce.

The bills are facing staunch opposition from farmer bodies as well as from within the ruling coalition. K K Ragesh (CPI), Derek O'Brien (TMC), Trichi Siva (DMK), and K C Venugopal (Congress) moved resolutions for sending the two bills to a select committee of the House for consideration before they are taken up for passage.

TMC MP Derek O'Brien entered the well and showed the House rule book to Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, during the discussion in the House and tore the rule book copy. Marshalls had to be called in to keep the house under control and after a few minutes, the deputy chairman adjourned the house.


"They have broken every rule of the Parliament. It was a historic day, in the worst sense of the word. They cut RSTV feed so the country couldn't see. They censored RSTV", TMC MP Derek O'Brien

The Rajya Sabha passed 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, amid protest by Opposition MPs.

Bills Capable of Comprehensive Reforms: Rajnath Singh 

 "It is a matter of great pleasure that after the passage in the Rajya Sabha, two Bills, Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Price Assurance and Agricultural Services Agreement Bill, are capable of comprehensive reforms in the agriculture sector. Parliament has got approval" said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

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