NEW DELHI: The Congress-led opposition will vehemently oppose four of the 11 government ordinances, including three farm-related Bills in the Monsoon Session of Parliament starting here tomorrow.
Jairam Ramesh, Congress chief whip in the Rajya Sabha, on Sunday said like-minded non-NDA parties had largely agreed on a joint strategy to question the four ordinances in question — three related to agri-marketing practices that seek to create new structures, which the Opposition says will undermine the existing food security net — and the fourth related to banking regulation amendment, which according to the Congress will weaken the cooperative banking system.
On the eve of the session, Jairam said: “We are opposing three ordinances clearly and 100 per cent. Two of these are on agri-marketing and the third is on essential commodities. The Chief Ministers of agriculture-dominated namely Punjab and Chhattisgarh have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi against these ordinances and the Punjab Assembly had even passed a resolution against these.”
Jairam said these three ordinances were not in favour of farmers and the farmer organisations were also opposing them.
“Revenues of agri-dominant states will be negatively affected by these three ordinances. Private companies will benefit through corporate farming. The MSP regime is sought to be eliminated and also the public procurement system. We will not allow this attack on our food security pillars,” said Jairam, adding that Opposition parties had a broad understanding on opposing the four ordinances, which the Congress has decided to question vehemently.
The three farm-related ordinances are based on the report by a committee headed by BJP’s Shanta Kumar in January 2015.
“Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are already witnessing public demonstrations against these ordinances. Food security pillars will be finished if these are carried. Remunerative farm price structures will be adversely affected. Moreover, the Centre did not talk to the states about these ordinances when agriculture, we all know, is a state subject. No consultations took place and suddenly these ordinances came,” Jairam added.
The fourth Bill replacing the ordinance the Congress will oppose is the Banking Regulation Act Amendment Bill, which Jairam said sought to undermine cooperative banks.
This is against the states and the constitution, he said.
The Congress said it would support the rest of the ordinances with some riders.
While backing the Bill that seeks to cut salaries of the Member of Parliaments by 30 per cent for a year as a COVID austerity measure, the Congress said it would question the “wasteful Central Vista” project and oppose the suspension of the MPLADS funding for two years.
“So many works of public importance are hanging fire. The MPLADS must be restored,” Jairam said.
The Congress said while it would support the Taxation Amendment Bill, it would strongly oppose one provision in this bill whereby the PM CARES is sought to be exempted from the tax net.
“We are against this. PM CARES is non-transparent. No CAG audit, no RTI is allowed for it. Many industrialists have given money to this fund and so have some Chinese firms as we learn from some reports. We will demand that if PM CARES has to stay it must be made transparent,” said the Congress leader.
The Congress has also declared support to the bill replacing the Epidemic Diseases Amendment Ordinance, 2020, to make assault of health workers punishable and non-bailable and said it would seek answers from the government on COVID mismanagement.
Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha business advisory committee met today and allocated time for important business.
Rahul Gandhi not to attend session
Rahul Gandhi will not attend the Monsoon session for the initial few days and is away to the US with his mother Sonia Gandhi for her health check-up. He has informed the Lok Sabha Speaker of his absence.