Suspended MPs end sit-in; united Opp plans long-term protest against farm Bills

The Opposition parties led by the Congress on Tuesday began the boycott of the remaining part of the Monsoon Session to demand the revocation of the suspension of eight MPs and the introduction of a Bill to bar private players from buying farm produce below the minimum support price (MSP).

The battle-line drawn between the ruling BJP and the Opposition after the passing of two controversial farm Bills in the Rajya Sabha impacted the Lok Sabha, too, where Opposition members, including from the DMK, Congress, NCP and TMC, boycotted the proceedings demanding “withdrawal” of the Bills before they are sent to the President for his consent.

While the Opposition members staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha and announced to boycott the entire ongoing session, the Opposition MPs in the Lok Sabha joined them to express solidarity with them.

The eight suspended members who were on a sit-in dharna overnight on Parliament premises called off their protest and joined the Lok Sabha MPs to strategise a broad-based boycott.

“Senior Opposition leaders, including Congress Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, appealed to all of us sitting at the dharna to finish it and join them in boycotting the rest of the session. That is how we have ended this dharna,” said Congress Rajya Sabha member Syed Nasir Hussain.

“We not only want our suspension to be revoked but also want the farm Bills to be taken back and discussed further. There should be proper voting on it,” Hussain said.

Hussain is among the eight MPs who were suspended for the remaining part of the Session over “gross disorderly conduct” during the passage of the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, and the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 on Sunday.

Trinamool Congress’ Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen, Congress’ Rajeev Satav, Ripun Bora, Aam Aadmi Party’s Sanjay Singh, CPI(M)’s Elamaram Kareem and KK Ragesh are the other suspended MPs.

Soon after the Upper House resumed, the Opposition parties led by Congress staged a walkout after their demand for revocation of suspension of the eight MPs fell on deaf ears. In order to pacify the members at dharna, the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh had offered them tea requesting them to call off their protest but in vain.

Congress Rajya Sabha member and Chief Whip Jairam Ramesh took to twitter to give seven reasons behind the decision to boycott the proceedings.

Several senior Opposition leaders, including Azad, Samajwadi Party’s Ram Gopal Yadav, Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and NCP Praful Patel, appealed to Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu to revoke the suspension of the eight leaders.

“The Government should come to an understanding. Both the Opposition and the Government should sit together to help run the House. Democracy should work with cooperation,” Gowda said followed by an apology by Yadav on behalf of the eight suspended leaders.

Azad then announced the Opposition will boycott the Parliament session until the Government accepts the demands - revocation of the MPs’ suspension, and Government bringing another Bill under which no private player can purchase from the farmers below the MSP.

However, Naidu didn’t relent and said the action was taken based on the conduct of the MPs. “I am not happy about the suspension of the members. The action has been taken on their conduct. We have nothing against any member,” he said. After the walkout, the Rajya Sabha continued with its proceedings.

The RS Chairman called its Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting on Tuesday but the Opposition boycotted that too.

After Rajya Sabha, Opposition parties led by the Congress boycotted Lok Sabha session in support of suspended Rajya Sabha members and the farm Bills issue. As the House met, Congress MPs raised banners with “Don’t kill the Farmers” slogans and “Kisanon par Tanashahi nahin chalegi”. Speaker Om Birla urged members to follow the Covid-19 protocols in the House and maintain physical distance.

The Lok Sabha is likely to be adjourned sine die on Wednesday, eight days ahead of the scheduled end of the Monsoon Session, amid concerns of spread of coronavirus among lawmakers, sources said on Tuesday.

Birla later called on a meeting of Opposition members parties after they announced a boycott of the session in solidarity with suspended Rajya Sabha MPs and in Opposition of the farm Bills.

With protest from Opposition growing stronger, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said it will consider revoking the suspension of eight Rajya Sabha members only after they apologise for their behaviour in the Upper House.

Congress Leader of the Lower House Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the Government should withdraw the two farm Bills which were passed by the Rajya Sabha on Sunday despite objection raised by the Opposition.

Chowdhury said the Opposition has no problem in participating in House proceedings if the Government is ready to withdraw the two farm Bills.

After Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar in his intervention described Congress stand on the farmers issue as “double-faced” and insisted that the Bills would “revolutionise agriculture” , the Congress MP said (before walking out) “ we expected a lot from Mr Tomar but he is telling a white lie”.

Soon almost entire Opposition walked out of the Lok Sabha.

Tomar said the Congress did not implement Swaminathan Commission recommendations but “we raised MSP one and half times more the production cost”.

The Minister said when the Congress failed to implement the reforms for the welfare of the farmers while the Modi Government has managed to do it, they are now scared of losing farmers’ support and are spreading such rumours.

From Opposition side, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) also supported the Congress with leaders Kalyan Banerjee and Ritesh Pandey echoing on the subject. Banerjee said, “We are with Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury over the issue.”

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 - the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 was passed by the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

On September 25, thousands of farmers are scheduled to protest against the farm Bills in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and other States.

Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal of the Akali Dal, an ally of the BJP-led ruling National Democratic Alliance, resigned from the Modi Government to lodge her protest on the farm Bills.