New Delhi, Sep 22 The Lok Sabha was on Tuesday adjourned for an hour following pandemonium over the farm Bills as Congress raised the issue in the House criticising the government's step that led to thousands of farmers to hit the streets in protest.
Congress Leader of the House Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury raised the issue after the Lower House assembled for the day at 3 p.m. Chowdhury criticised the government for not including Minimum Support Price (MSP) in the two farm Bills that it passed on Sunday amid objections raised by his party colleagues in the Rajya Sabha.
"Almost 90 per cent people have come on the road. People have lost faith in the government. Our party demanded that MSP should be included in the Bill but the government said that everybody will get MSP. Each and every farmer does not go to the mandi. They sell their produce to private traders. Why did you not come with a provision to provide MSP benefit to them?," Chowdhury said.
Congress members then started sloganeering against the government accusing it of being anti-farmer.
Cutting across party lines, the Trinamool Congress also supported the Congress with its leader Kalyan Banerjee saying, "we are with Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury over the issue."
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla tried to defuse the situation requesting Congress MPs to go to their seat and not raise the issue on which they have already discussed in the House.
Amid the din, the Speaker announced adjournment of the House for an hour.
"The proceedings of the House are being suspended for one hour considering the safety of your health," Birla said.
The two controversial bills - 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 passed by both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, will now go to the President for his assent before they are notified as laws.
The third farm bill Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 is yet to be taken up in Rajya Sabha.
Thousands of farmers in Punjab, Haryana and several other states have been staging protests since the government introduced these Bills in the Lok Sabha on the opening day of the Monsoon Session on September 14 to replace the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020 promulgated on June 5.
Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal of the Akali Dal resigned from the Narendra Modi government, hours ahead of the voting in the lower House on the two Bills on September 17.
( With inputs from IANS )
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