For the last eight months, tens of thousands of agricultural labourers and farmers from all across India have been camping out on several borders surrounding Delhi protesting against the three farm laws brought by the BJP ruled Union government.
On July 24th around 200 farmers started Kisan Sansad at Jantar Mantar to coincide with the Monsoon Session of the Parliament. Yesterday, continuing the discussion initiated by the Mahila Kisan Sansad on Monday, debated on the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020.
The #FarmersParliament is in its 4th day today. Farmers continue to show the Indian MPs how the Parliament should be run.#8MonthsOfFarmersProtest pic.twitter.com/GqOE2WM6Xz
— Tractor2ਟਵਿੱਟਰ (@Tractor2twitr) July 27, 2021
4. The Debates in Kisan Sansad
The Kisan Sansad took note of the fact that India’s position in the Global Hunger Index is unacceptably low and continuously deteriorating. It noted that the Amendments brought into the 1955 Act last year have provided legal sanction to hoard foodstuffs and sell them in the black market and that this was designed to favour agribusiness companies and big traders at the expense of common consumers and farmers.
Furthermore, the Sansad which was also attended by a former Judge of Bombay High Court Mr. BG Kolse Patil on Tuesday noted that the de-regulation of food supply chains will lead to domination by big corporate and global food processing and marketing companies. The Sansad took serious cognizance of the need to ensure food security for everyone at affordable prices, a point that Mahila Kisan Sansad had also emphasized on Monday.
Read More: Farmers’ Protest: Historic All Women Sansad Held in Jantar Mantar
The Amendments to the Act allow the government to impose stock limits only in the case of an ‘extraordinary price rise’. Moreover, many entities need not comply with stock limits even in the case of emergencies, due to the exceptions provided even in the severely limited powers of regulation by the government, because of these amendments.
आज का किसान संसद का काफिला निकल चुका हैं। मोदी जी आइए कभी सच की संसद में। #8MonthsOfFarmersProtest pic.twitter.com/LZLTaStPsx
— Tractor2ਟਵਿੱਟਰ (@Tractor2twitr) July 27, 2021
The Kisan Sansad demanded that the Essential Commodities Amendment Act 2020 should be repealed by the Parliament.
