THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala on Saturday underlined the need to put up solid resistance against the new agricultural bills which, he said, place Indian farmers at the mercy of corporates.
Accusing the Narendra Modi government of serving corporate interests, Mr. Chennithala said the ‘anti-farmer’ Bills virtually gift farm lands in the country to the corporates and enslave the farmers. He was addressing a protest meeting at Kowdiar organised by the KPCC as part of Congress party’s nationwide stir against the bills.
“These bills will transform Indian farmers into mere serfs of the corporates. The unilateral manner in which the BJP government has attempted to enact these laws will have far-reaching ramifications for the agriculture sector,” Mr. Chennithala said.
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, would ultimately entail a decline in agricultural production, facilitate unrestricted entry of genetically modified crops and weaken the public distribution system, he said.
Entry of genetically-modified crops and the move to do away with minimum support prices (MSP) for crops would have grave implications for a State like Kerala, he said.
“Farmers will be left at the mercy of the corporates. One Union Minister (Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal) has already quit over the bills. Protests against the Bills are gaining strength in the north Indian States. There is every need to put up a solid resistance against the Bills,” Mr. Chennithala said, adding that the Modi government has betrayed the people by getting them cleared by Parliament.
Congress leaders will march to the Raj Bhavan on Monday to submit a signed petition to Governor Arif Mohammed Khan urging President Ram Nath Kovind not to give assent to the Bills.