Centre should have taken farmers into confidence before taking decision on farm bills: Mayawati

LUCKNOW: Amidst protests over farm bills, BSP president Mayawati on Thursday said it would have been better if the Centre had taken the decision on bringing the legislation after consulting farmers.

The former UP chief minister recalled that during her regime, the BSP government in Uttar Pradesh used to take decisions relating to agriculture by calling a panchayat of farmers and "consulting them properly".

In a tweet in Hindi, Mayawati said, "It would have been better had the Central government also taken farmers into confidence before taking the decision" on farm bills.

जैसाकि विदित है कि बीएसपी ने यूपी में अपनी सरकार के दौरान कृषि से जुड़े अनेकों मामलों में किसानों की कई पंचायतें बुलाकर उनसे समुचित विचार-विमर्श करने के बाद ही उनके हितों में फैसले लिए थे। यदि केन्द्र सरकार भी किसानों को विश्वास में लेकर ही निर्णय लेती तो यह बेहतर होता।

— Mayawati (@Mayawati) September 24, 2020

Opposition parties and farmers in some states have been protesting the farm bills passed by Parliament recently.

The Farmer's 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, have been passed by both Houses and await presidential assent.