Delhi assembly seeks roll-back of farm laws

The new farm laws do away with hoarding restrictions for traders. This will only favour big business enterprises and not farmers, said Delhi home minister Satyendar Jain in the assembly.

The Delhi assembly on Friday passed a resolution recommending that the Union government should immediately roll-back the three contentious farm laws against which farmer groups have been protesting at the border points in the national capital.

The last day of the two-day monsoon session of the Delhi assembly, on Wednesday. (PTI)

“The new farm laws do away with hoarding restrictions for traders. This will only favour big business enterprises and not farmers. Hoarding by enterprises is a reason we have been witnessing price rise of food grains, fruits and vegetables,” said Delhi home minister Satyendar Jain in the Assembly.

“The new laws will potentially end minimum support price and mandis (agricultural produce wholesale markets). These policies will force farmers into immense distress… These laws were simply drafted to favour a handful of big corporate players. All three farm laws should be unconditionally rolled back,” said Jain.

The motion for the resolution was proposed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Jarnail Singh, who is also the co-in charge of the party’s unit in Punjab – a state that goes to the polls next year. The AAP is the principal opposition party in Punjab, which is currently ruled by the Congress.

Singh said that many farmers have died in the protest. “The government should immediately talk to the farmer groups and repeal the three laws,” he added.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has eight MLAs in the Delhi Assembly, voted against the motion and called the claims of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party party misleading.

Leader of the Opposition, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, said, “The three laws are aimed at increasing farmers income and agricultural productivity. The laws will lead to reform of mandis… Under the guidance of PM Narendra Modi and the BJP’s pro-farmer policies, states such as Punjab and Haryana have witnessed double the procurement of wheat and paddy… The Delhi government, on the other hand, had promised additional 50% price over MSP, but is yet to fulfil the promise… Also, schemes initiated by the central government should be implemented in Delhi. Farmers should be given free electricity and provided subsidies on farming tools. Tractors should not be considered commercial vehicles, they should be exempt from annual road tax. AAP is misleading people on the farmers issue.”

Farmers have been protesting on the different borders of the national capital since November 26 last year against the three farm laws -- Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 -- passed in September last year. They have also sought a legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP).