Minister of Public Works Department Ashok Chavan on Friday said the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government is just waiting for the Supreme Court's final verdict on the fate of Centre's farm laws, adding that the government will make its own law "if needed."
Speaking to reporters about the ongoing controversy over Centre's farm laws, Chavan informed that the Cabinet sub-committee on the three farm laws is not holding meetings as the matter is sub judice in Supreme Court. However, he said, the respective departments have been instructed to study the resolution passed by Punjab, Rajasthan, and other states against these farm laws.
Chavan added that the Maharashtra Cabinet sub-committee on farm laws is headed by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, so he will take a call on this issue.
Meanwhile, 17 political parties—Congress, NCP, J-K National Conference, DMK, AITC, Shiv Sena, Samajwadi Party, RJD, CPI (M), CPI, IUML, RSP, BSP, PDP, MDMK, Kerala Congress (M), and AIUDF—in a joint statement on Thursday announced that they will boycott the President's address in Parliament to register their protest against the three farm laws.
Apart from these parties, AAP and SAD have announced that they too will boycott the President's address.
Farmers have been protesting at different border points of the national capital since 26 November against the three newly enacted farm laws: the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
Enacted in September, the three 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.
However, the protesting farmers have expressed the apprehension that the new laws will pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of the MSP and do away with the "mandi" (wholesale market) system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.
(With inputs from agencies)
