The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Saturday, August 28 adopted a resolution urging the Union government to withdraw the three contentious farm laws, against which farmers have been holding protests outside Delhi for months. Opposing the resolution, members of AIADMK and BJP staged a walkout. Moving the resolution in the Assembly, Stalin said that the three farm laws are against the farmers’ interests and would destroy agriculture. He said the farm laws are of no use for the farmers and are also against the principle of federalism, and take away the powers of the states.
The three laws — The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act — have seen stiff opposition from farmers, who have been protesting since August 2020, especially around New Delhi. The three laws are beneficial for the corporates and not for the farmers, Stalin added. He said the laws were silent on the minimum support price (MSP) for the farmers for their produce.
With this, Tamil Nadu becomes the seventh state to oppose the farm laws and pass a resolution against it. Already, similar resolutions have been adopted by Punjab, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Delhi and West Bengal. All the states are governed by non-BJP parties. Punjab was the first state to move such a resolution in October 2020, as almost all political parties backed three amendment bills, to counter the central laws that were passed by the Union government. Several states later followed suit.
Stalin also said the state government had presented a separate Budget for agriculture this year.
Tamil Nadu's Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare MRK Panneerselvam, while presenting the state's first Budget for agriculture, had said it was dedicated to the farmers protesting in Delhi against the three farms laws. Parties like Congress, CPI(M), CPI, VCK and MDMK, who are in alliance with DMK in Tamil Nadu — were opposed to the three farm laws introduced by the Union government. These parties showed their support for the resolution moved by the DMK.
While in the opposition, Stalin had urged former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami to convene a special session of the state Assembly to adopt a resolution to urge the Union government to revoke the contentious laws.
Deputy Leader of AIADMK legislature, O Panneerselvam, said that while the CM had listed the disadvantages of the farm laws, its advantages also needed to be ascertained. He sought to know whether the state government has written to the Union government over the matter and if it has received a reply. Panneerselvam said petitions against the farm laws were pending before the Supreme Court and therefore no decision can be taken, and also assured his party's support for the welfare of farmers.
(With inputs from IANS)