‘Futile exercise’: Centre on Kerala Assembly’s resolution against farm laws

Hours after the Kerala Assembly unanimously passed a resolution against three new farm laws, Minister of State for MEA V Muraleedharan termed it a ‘futile exercise’ as the laws have been passed by Parliament. As per the Constitution, states are bound to go by laws passed by Parliament. Speaking to reporters on the development, Muraleedharan today said that Kerala Assembly had undertaken a futile exercise because the three new farm laws had been passed by Parliament. “It is like going against the general view of the whole country,” he added.

The minister further said that if the Kerala government was so particular that every farmer should sell his produce as per the APMC Act, then it should enact such a law. “The Government of India has brought this law to give better remuneration to farmers,” the union minister said.

On Thursday, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan moved a resolution in the state assembly, demanding rollback of the farm laws at the centre of ongoing protests by thousands of farmers, mainly from Haryana and Punjab. Vijayan said that the laws were not only ‘anti-farmer’ but also ‘pro-corporate’, and therefore should be scrapped.

The Centre has, however, made it clear that it will not take back the laws but is open for concessions. Last week, Prime Minister Modi spoke at length about the ongoing protests and how the new farm laws will benefit farmers. He also targeted the Left and Congress for opposing the reforms that they themselves had promised when they were in power.

Taking on the Left parties, Prime Minister Modi said that Kerala did not even have state-run mandis but still demanded the same in other states and provoked the farmers. He dared the Vijayan government in Kerala to set up mandis if they were so beneficial for the farmers.