'Govt should bring Bill for providing legal guarantee for MSP'
New Delhi: Ahead of Parliament's Winter Session, RJD leader Manoj Kumar Jha on Sunday demanded that the government should bring a bill to provide legal guarantee for MSP and give an assurance on the floor of the House that cases filed against farmers will be withdrawn as well as compensation will be paid to the families of those who died during the farm laws agitation.
The Rajya Sabha member, who is an influential voice of the Opposition, also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should "explain" in Parliament why the farmers' movement was "denigrated" and "demonised" before agreeing to repeal the farm laws. Jha said the Opposition was committed to the smooth functioning of Parliament and would take "four steps for it, provided the ruling party takes two" in a meaningful direction with an open mind.
Describing the RJD-Congress war of words during the recent bypolls in Bihar as "episodic", he also dismissed reported divisions within the Opposition ranks and asserted that almost the entire Opposition is united in demanding a bill giving legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP). Asked about the Congress-Trinamool Congress run-ins of late, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader said if a political party is enhancing its footprint then that is a question of their political constituency but in Parliament it was about collectively raising the voice of people of India.
He asserted that the Opposition unity inside Parliament would not be affected.
Noting that the Centre is bringing a bill to repeal the three farm laws which have been at the centre of farmers' protests, Jha said the government should bring a separate bill exclusively for providing legal guarantee for MSP where in all crops be included.
"That has been a consistent demand of the farmers. Interestingly, this was also demanded during Constituent Assembly debates and I hope the government understands now what is the power of the voice of the farming community, they have experienced it," the Rajya Sabha leader said.
Asserting that he was making the demand on behalf of the Opposition, Jha also pointed out that nearly all opposition parties decided not to attend the November 26 Constitution Day programme because they believe that "trampling upon constitutional values and celebrating Constitution Day do not go hand in hand".
