DMK, allies demand withdrawal of farm bills, to stage protests on Sept 28

The DMK and its allies on Monday

decided to stage protests across Tamil Nadu on September 28 to urge the Centre to take back the farm bills passed in Parliament.

A meet held at DMK headquarters here, presided by the Dravidian party chief M K Stalin, said the protest is to condemn the ruling AIADMK government as well which is lending a helping hand to the Centre on the matter.

The passage of bills has once again put a question mark on "federalism" besides pushing poor farmers to a state of suffering, a resolution adopted at the meeting of DMK and its allies said.

The bills pave the way for the "anti-social activity of hoarding farm produce," and its passage in the Rajya Sabha through a voice vote without division was autocratic and trampled Parliamentary conventions, the resolution alleged.

The protest planned for next week is aimed at urging the Union government to withdraw the bills that have been adopted in Parliament, it said.

"This meeting places on record its strong opposition to the farm bills passed by the Centre which is against the farmers, farm labourers, consumers and the general public and which would cause a setback to progress of agriculture," the resolution said.

Also, it condemned the Centre for passage of bills in the Rajya Sabha in "violation" of rules and the AIADMK for its support to the bills.

The bills that have been passed "interferes" in the "independent" agriculture markets and affected its natural functioning paving the way for a situation in which even the Minimum Support Price would be a "question mark," and also imperilled food security, the resolution claimed.

The meet lent its support for farmers call for a 'Bharath Bandh' on September 25 and endorsed views that the Centre's initaitves pushed the farmers towards big private players.

It imposed a "model" that has already "failed" in Bihar which had abolished Agricultural Produce Market Committees, the DMK and its allies said.

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K S Alagiri, MDMK general secretary Vaiko, State secretaries of CPI (M) and CPI, K Balakrishnan and R Mutharasan respectively took part.

Also, Indian Union Muslim Leagues's former MP Abdul Rahman, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi chief Thol Thirumavalavan, Manithaneya Makkal Katchi president M H Jawahirullah, Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi general secretary, E R Easwaran, Dravidar Kazhagam treasurer V Kumaresan and Indiya Jananayaga Katchi chief Ravi Pachamuthu participated.

The parties urged all sections of people, farmers bodies and traders to take part in the protest.

On Sunday, the Rajya Sabha passed the Farmer's Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020.

A third bill, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 that seeks to remove commodities like cereals, pulses, oilseeds, onion, and potatoes from the list of essential commodities and will do away with the imposition of stock holding limits, is to be moved separately in the upper house.

All the three bills have already been passed by Lok Sabha.