Kerala Assembly passes resolution against farm laws in one-day special session
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan moved a resolution against Centre's farm laws in the special session of the State Assembly today and attacked the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.
Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala legislative assembly held a one-day special session on Thursday and passed a resolution against new farm laws which have triggered widespread protests.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan moved a resolution against Centre's farm laws in the special session of the State Assembly today and attacked the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.
While moving the resolution demanding the immediate scrapping of the new laws, VIjayan said the country was now witnessing one of the most iconic protests ever by farmers in its history.
The central farm laws, passed in Parliament, were not only "anti-farmer" but also "pro-corporate", he alleged and said that at least 32 farmers had lost their lives in the last 35 days of the agitation.
"Legislative assemblies have the moral responsibility to take a serious view when people have anxieties about certain laws which affect their lives," he said, adding that agriculture was part of the culture of the country.
“All three laws will only help big corporate houses,” the chief minister said.
“The current situation makes it clear that if this agitation continues, it will seriously affect Kerala. There is no doubt that Kerala will starve if the supply of food items from other states stops,” he added.
The Governor had turned down the state government’s first recommendation for the convening of the session on December 23, saying Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had not responded to the question raised by him on the nature of emergency warranting the very brief session.
The Governor’s decision had drawn a sharp reaction from the Chief Minister who termed the move "regrettable” and said that moving resolutions and conducting discussions in the Assembly "cannot be regulated by gubernatorial powers".
Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, have been protesting at several border points of Delhi for the past one month, seeking repeal of the farm laws. The agitating farmers have expressed apprehension that the laws will eliminate MSP mechanism and the mandi system, but the government has maintained that these fears are misplaced.