Fadnavis slams Congress over 'double standards' on farm bills, recalls manifesto promise

Addressing the media in Navi Mumbai on Friday, former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis slammed Congress for its assertion that the MVA government will not implement the farm bills in the state. Maintaining that the legislation is beneficial for the farmers, he alleged that the Congress party had double standards on the issue. To buttress his point, the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly highlighted that Congress had promised similar reforms as enacted in The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020. 

In its manifesto, Congress had promised to repeal the APMC Act making the trade in agriculture produce free from all restrictions and to replace the Essential Commodities Act with an enabling law that be can invoked only in the case of emergencies. Fadnavis contended that the farmers would give a befitting reply to the Congress party. Thereafter, he opined that the Maharashtra government had no option but to implement the farm legislation in the state. At present, the aforesaid bills are pending with President Ram Nath Kovind for his assent. 

Ex-Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis remarked, "I feel that farm bills are unnecessarily being politicised. Not implementing the bills is against the farmer’s interest. They have such double standards- the Congress party in its 2019 Lok Sabha manifesto had promised to do all these things after coming to power. In the manifesto, it should have also added that we will not let the other party enact these reforms if we don’t come to power. This is a hypocritical stand. I feel that the farmers themselves will answer them. The MVA will have to implement the bills."

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Opposition to farm bills

Earlier in the day, Congress Maharashtra chief and state Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat stressed that the entire MVA was opposed to the farm bills and not just his party. Condemning the lack of discussion in Parliament over the legislation, he accused the Centre of trying to harm the Agriculture Market Produce Committees. According to him, the farmers have been cheated by benefiting the traders and doing away with the Minimum Support Price system. 

After the passage of the bills in both Houses of Parliament, 15 political parties- Congress, Shiv Sena, NCP, SP, IUML, RJD, CPI, CPI(M), AAP, DMK, TMC, LJD, Kerala Congress(M), JD(S) and TRS  wrote a joint letter to the President urging him to not append his signature. While the farm bills were cleared via voice vote, the parties claimed that a division of votes was not allowed by Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson Harivansh Narayan Singh. Maintaining that there is no place for arrogance, they alleged that the voice of MPs speaking for the farmers was stifled. 

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