Chhattisgarh Cong protests against Centre's new farm laws

Removal of stock limits envisaged in the The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2020 will lead to hoarding and black-marketing, the Congress memorandum claimed. However, BJP MP Sunil Soni said the new laws would usher in prosperity for farmers as they would get good prices for their produce..

The Chhattisgarh Congress on Tuesday protested in front of Raj Bhavan here and demanded the scrapping of three farm laws introduced by the Centre recently. Party leaders submitted a memorandum to Governor Anusuiya Uikey and said President Ram Nath Kovind must take back his assent which turned the bills into law.

The president had given his assent on Sunday to 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. The Congress, in its memorandum, said these were "black laws" which were brought in by the Narendra Modi government to give control of the agriculture sector to corporates, adding that 62 crore cultivators and over 250 farm outfits were opposing them.

It said the laws would destroy the "mandi" structure and also finish off the minimum support price mechanism and harm farmers immensely. Removal of stock limits envisaged in the The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2020 will lead to hoarding and black-marketing, the Congress memorandum claimed.

However, BJP MP Sunil Soni said the new laws would usher in prosperity for farmers as they would get good prices for their produce..