Sonia Gandhi Directs Congress-Ruled States To Override Centre's Farm Bills, Asks To Bring Their Own Law

The Congress asserted that since agriculture is a State subject, the Union government cannot pass laws on it.

(File Photo/ AFP)

New Delhi: Amid the ongoing nationwide protests against the two controversial farm bills, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday advised the party-ruled states to "explore" and pass laws to "override" or negate the newly enacted central farm laws. According to reports, Sonia Gandhi has asked Congress-led state governments to look for possibilities to pass legislations under Article 254(2) of the Constitution. "The Congress President has asked party-ruled states to explore the possibilities to pass laws in their respective states under Article 254(2) of the Constitution, which allows the state legislatures to pass laws to override central laws that then go for President's assent." Congress' Rajya Sabha member KC Venugopal said in an official statement. Even the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2015 asked its party-ruled states to bring their own laws to override the land acquisition bill which was passed during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)tenure in 2003.

This would enable the states to negate the unacceptable anti-farmers' provisions in the three draconian Agricultural laws including the abolition of MSP and disruption of APMCs in Congress ruled states & alleviate the farmers from the grave injustice done by the Central Govt.

— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) September 28, 2020

The Congress asserted that since agriculture is a State subject, the Union government cannot pass laws on it. "This will enable the states to negate the unacceptable anti-farmers' provisions in the three draconian agricultural laws, that will lead to abolition of MSPs and disruption of APMCs in Congress-ruled states, and save the farmers from grave injustice done by the central govt," Venugopal added. Congress MP TN Prathapan has already moved the Supreme Court on the issue. IN PICS: Intense Farmers’ Protest Against Controversial Farm Bills Engulfs India Meanwhile, massive protests are being held across the nation ever since Rajya Sabha passed the contentious farm Bills, which has seen the Opposition and farmers hit the streets in agitation. President Ram Nath Kovind has given assent to the three farm bills -- The Farmers'' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020. Several parties and even political experts believe that without the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) acting as a protective shield around the farmers, the market would ultimately fall to the corporate greed of multinational companies who are more profit-oriented and have no care for the conditions of poverty-stricken farmers dependent on farming for their livelihood. BJP, on the other hand, dubbed the Congress as "anti-farmers", saying farmers venerate their farm equipment and will not set tractors on fire. The Centre has maintained that the laws would beneficial to the farmers as they would have the freedom to choose the buyers for their produce and get remunerative price. Also, it has stressed that the MSP system will stay.