Congress MP files 1st plea challenging Farm Acts in Supreme Court: 'Declare it void'

Challenging the three Farm Acts, Congress MP T N Prathapan on Monday, filed a plea in the Supreme Court demanding the acts be declared 'unconstitutional, illegal and void'. He claimed that without APMC protecting the farmers, the market would fall to the 'corporate greed of multinational companies'. On Sunday, President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to all three Farm Bills passed by the Parliament - Essential Commodities (Amendment) 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm services Act 2020 and the Farmers' produce trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act 2020.

President Kovind gives his assent to all three Farm Bills amid nationwide farmer protests

Congress protest turns violent

Amid nationwide farmer protests, a tractor was set on fire near India Gate in Delhi on Monday morning by a crowd of alleged Congress supporters. With Punjab Youth Congress live-streaming the protest, 20 people set a tractor on fire while raising pro-Congress slogans. The police are trying to identify those involved.  

Congress' tractor burning at India Gate condemned: 'What Andolan is this?' asks Javadekar

Nationwide-wide protests rage on

Protests continue to surge across the nation against these Acts. In Punjab and Haryana, 31 farmer organisations under aegis of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) staged a Bharat Bandh, taking to the streets to block highways on September. Farmers have also extended their 'Rail Roko' till September 29 against the bills and squatted on tracks at many places in Punjab, with CM Amarinder Singh too taking to the streets to protest.  Similar protests are currently underway in Karnataka, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu with farmers demanding rollback of the bills. 

In Tamil Nadu, farmers sat outside Collector's office in Trichy with human skulls, chained hands, and nooses around their necks to demonstrate against the Bills. Meanwhile, a Bharat Bandh is underway in Karnataka with Opposition leaders in support to it. Rajasthan, on the other hand, has witnessed a double protest -one by farmers other by tribals seeking teaching post reservation.

Prime Minister Modi has assured farmers that mandis and minimum sale price will remain, allaying the main concern of farmers and lashed out at the Opposition for 'spreading rumours'.  The Centre also increased the minimum support price of wheat by Rs 50 per quintal to Rs 1,975 per quintal, to allay farmers' fears. But several states like Punjab, Maharashtra, Telangana, West Bengal, Chhatisgarh have pledged to 'not implement these laws'. 

TN farmers protest against Farm Bills with chained hands, human skulls & noose around neck

What are the three farm bills?

As the country opened up after lockdown, the Centre promulgated three ordinances affecting agriculture. Agriculture foodstuff including cereals, edible oils, oilseeds, pulses, onions, and potato are to be deregulated while stock limits were to be imposed only under extreme conditions, under the amendment to the Essential Commodities act. The Farmers' produce trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act was to enable better price realisation for farmers by attracting investments - making agriculture sector competitive.  Under the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm services ordinance, 2020, it provided a framework for the protection and empowerment of farmers with reference to the sale and purchase of farm products overriding all state APMC laws.

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