Cong, BJP MLAs trade barbs as Haryana Speaker rejects private member's bill on crop MSP

The opposition and treasury benches entered into a war of words in the Haryana Assembly on Friday after the Speaker refused to allow tabling of a private member's bill moved by a Congress MLA on the grounds that the amendments it sought were related to the Centre's new farm laws -- a matter which is sub-judice.

Speaker Gian Chand Gupta rejected the Haryana Agricultural Produce Markets (Haryana Amendment) Bill 2021, which sought to amend the APMC Act to make procurement of crops by anyone below the government-fixed minimum support price (MSP) a punishable offence.

Congress MLA B B Batra moved the bill, which also sought legal guarantee of MSP -- a demand made by farmers protesting against the Centre's three farm laws.

As the Speaker refused to allow tabling of the bill, Batra asked ''under which law is it written that if the matter was sub-judice, it cannot be taken up in the state assembly.'' He added that the APMC Act was a state law.

The Speaker said the bill has been rejected as the amendments being sought were in violation of the farm laws enacted by Parliament. Also, the fact is that the matter is still sub-judice with the the Supreme Court staying the implementation of the farm laws till further orders, he told the House.

The statement of objects and reasons attached with the proposed bill explicitly imply that the intent of the legislation is to amend the central acts through an amendment to a state act on a matter which is sub-judice, the Speaker said.

The issues led to a war of words between members of the opposition Congress and the ruling BJP.

Congress leader and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said, ''We only want to make crop procurement a punishable offence. This bill is not against the Centre's Acts.'' Countering Hooda, Chief Minister M L Khattar said that the aims and objects of the bill clearly mention about the central legislations.

Hooda said that the aims and objects were mentioned because central farm laws will have impact in the state.

Khattar also told Hooda that the ''private member's bill'' wanted removal of Section 42 from the APMC Act, which was introduced by the erstwhile Congress government in 2008.

BJP MLA Abhe Singh Yadav said when Parliament enacts a law, no state assembly has powers to counter it.

''Even if Parliament enacts a law on state subject, the state has no power to change that Act,'' Yadav said.

Congress MLA Jagbir Malik told the Speaker, ''You have rejected it without valid ground, you must review it.'' As the Congress members including Hooda, Kiran Choudhary and B B Batra stood up and protested, the Speaker said the decision to reject the bill could be reconsidered if the Congress modified its aims and objects.

Later talking to reporters, Hooda said, ''The Speaker has rejected the bill citing that the matter is sub-judice whereas there is no bar on admitting it.'' He said the APMC Act is a state subject and the assembly has full right to amend it.

''Despite this, the bill was rejected. The intention of the government is clear before everyone. It is clear from this that the government is holding back from giving MSP to farmers,'' the former chief minister said.

Thousands of farmers from different parts of the country, mainly Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting against the Centre's farm laws at the three Delhi border points at Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur.

Enacted in September, the three farm laws have been projected by the Centre as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell their produce anywhere in the country.

The protesting farmers, on the other hand, have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and do away with the ''mandi'' (wholesale market) system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)