Farm bills will benefit big industrialists, traders alone: Rajasthan Congress chief

JAIPUR: Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra on Friday alleged there are discrepancies in the three farm bills passed by the Lok Sabha and that these will only benefit "big industrialists".

The bills, passed by the Lok Sabha, will now to be tabled in the Rajya Sabha.

The 'Mandi' system will collapse and black marketing will proliferate through the bills, Dotasra claimed.

"The three bills will profit big industrialists. Contract and corporate farming will become popular and farmers will become labourers. These bills will be a loss for farmers and promote black marketing. It will benefit only big players," he told reporters at a press conference here.

The Union government had on Monday introduced ''The Farmers'' Produce Trade And Commerce (Promotion And Facilitation) Bill'', ''The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill'', and ''The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill''.

The central government has argued that these measures will free farmers from the existing government-controlled markets and prices, and that they can enter into agreements with private parties for a better price of their produce.

Dotasra alleged that the Centre did not hold discussions and brought the ordinances in a hurried manner to benefit big industrialists.

He said that the NDA government in its previous tenure had made amendment in the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act to acquire farmers' land at "throw away" prices but farmers and the Congress did not let it happen.

The state Congress chief said that farmers are agitated and the party will raise their voice.

"We will be submitting a memorandum to the governor on Saturday to raise voice of the farmers as the party stands by them," he said.