The combined opposition of BJP and the JD(S) on Tuesday blocked the "APMC Bill" in the Karnataka Legislative Council, where the ruling Congress lacks majority. The 'Karnataka Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation and Development) (Amendment) Bill, 2023', aims to bring back restrictions on agricultural trading.
The Council decided to refer the bill to the House committee for review, as a majority of the members favoured it during the division of votes. There were 31 votes in favour of motion to refer the bill to the House committee and 21 against it. The bill was passed by the Legislative Assembly on Monday, amid protests by the BJP and JD(S), who termed it as "anti-farmer".
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The then BJP government in 2020, had amended the APMC law allowing farmers to sell wherever they want, as opposed to them having to trade only in notified markets or yards. The BJP government had even removed penalties, which the current Bill proposes to reinstate.
Noting that the bill introduced by it protects farmers' interest, the Congress government said, because trading happened outside APMCs, farmers weren't gaining profit, their incomes have not risen and they are not getting competitive rates and, instead, retailing companies made profits.
{{/usCountry}}Noting that the bill introduced by it protects farmers' interest, the Congress government said, because trading happened outside APMCs, farmers weren't gaining profit, their incomes have not risen and they are not getting competitive rates and, instead, retailing companies made profits.
{{/usCountry}}Minister for Agricultural Marketing, Shivananda Patil, who piloted the bill said, the union government too has withdrawn a similar law, that currently exist in the state.
However, BJP members argued that the existing Act is good for farmers, as it frees them from the APMC's bureaucratic system, and provides them an opportunity to sell wherever they want. Despite repeated requests from Shivananda Patil and Law Minister H K Patil, BJP and JD(S) members pressed for the Bill to be referred to the select committee (House committee).
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As the senior BJP MLC Kota Shrinivas Poojari demanded that the bill be referred to the select committee, H K Patil asked, after a lengthy discussion on the bill, what was the need for referring to the select committee, and requested for the passage of the bill.
Following this, Chairman Basavaraj Horatti, noting that the government has not agreed for the select committee, asked Poojari to state his party's clear stand. Poojary said if the government is adamant on not referring the bill to the select committee, let the motion in this regard be put to vote. The Chairman then put to vote the motion to refer the bill to the house committee.
After a head count the motion to refer the bill to the House committee was adopted, with majority votes in its favour. JD(S) MLC Marithibbe Gowda sided with the Congress to vote against the motion. The BJP is the single largest party in the Council with 34 members, followed by Congress at 26 and JD(S) eight. There are five seats vacant, while there is one Independent and one Chairperson.