Opposition takes farmers’ protest to parliament, 20 parties boycott President’s customary address

NEW DELHI: The budget session of Parliament began on a stormy note on Friday, after members belonging to 20 Opposition parties boycotted the President’s customary address to the joint sitting of both the Houses, demanding repeal of the farm laws. They staged a noisy protest in the Lok Sabha and dharna outside. With tension mounting at the farmers’ protests sites at Delhi’s border, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi warned the Centre that the protests could spread to more cities if the government failed to sort out the issues with farmers.

“Only farmers in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan have understood these laws completely. The government should realise that the protests will not stop here. This agitation will spread to the big cities because it is not only farmers who have been robbed of their livelihood,” Gandhi said at a news conference at the Congress headquarters, later in the day. Deploring the administrative build-up at agitation venues, Gandhi urged the Centre to have a conversation with farmers, “repeal farms laws and dump them into the wastebasket.” He said, “the Centre must not think that the farmers will go home” before this happens. He blamed home minister Amit Shah for the raid on Red Fort on Republic Day.

Apart from 16 opposition parties led by Congress, BSP and the Akali Dal, AAP and RLP as a bloc boycotted President’s address. Congress’ Ravneet Singh Bittu and RLP’s Hanuman Baniwal, however, made it a point to remain in the Central Hall during President’s address and raised slogans against the farm laws and in support of agitating farmers. Later, Opposition MPs led by Congress floor leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and DMK leader TR Balu protested against the farms bills during a brief sitting of the Lok Sabha. Soon after obituary references, many Opposition MPs entered the Well of the House and the Speaker repeatedly asked them to go back. Rahul Gandhi was seen seated while MPs of Congress, DMK, Left and some other parties protested.

Fence-sitter BSP announced its plan to boycott the presidential address on Friday morning. "In protest over the Centre not accepting farmers' demand for repealing three controversial farm laws and for dilly-dallying on matters of public interest, the BSP has decided to boycott the President's address in Parliament. Also, I request the Centre to repeal the farm laws and normalise the situation in Delhi. Innocent farmers should not be made a scapegoat in the wake of the violence on Republic Day. There is a lot of truth in the objection raised by BKU and other farmers representatives from UP on this matter,” Mayawati tweeted in Hindi.

Congress MPs staged a dharna in front of Parliament House. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury rejected the government charge that the Opposition showed disrespect to the President by boycotting his address. “Boycotting President’s address doesn’t mean insulting him. We stand with farmers and demand that the farm laws be repealed, he said. Left parties staged a protest march from VP House to Parliament House.