Govt to bring Bill to repeal farm laws; Oppn wants legal backing for MSP

New Delhi: The Winter Session of Parliament is set to begin on a stormy note on Monday, with the government listing a Bill to repeal the three contentious farm laws on the first day itself even as the Opposition plans to push for a law on Minimum Support Price on agriculture produce.

The Farm Laws Repeal Bill is slated to be introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

Thousands of farmers have been protesting for the past one year against the three legislations and demanding they be repealed.

Several farmer unions have pressed for a law on Minimum Support Price (MSP).

Various Opposition parties on Sunday raised the issue of legal backing for MSP at an all-party meet called by the government ahead of the session.

The Opposition also raised the issue of compensation for family members of farmers who had died during the year-long protests against the laws.

The Congress has demanded a condolence resolution for the farmers who died during the protests.

At the meeting, Opposition leaders also demanded a discussion on the Pegasus snooping row, fuel prices and unemployment in the session.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not present at the all-party meeting convened by the government, Defence Minister and Deputy Leader of Lok Sabha Rajnath Singh sought cooperation from all parties for productive and smooth functioning of the House.

The government is ready for discussions on all the issues permitted by the Lok Sabha speaker and the Rajya Sabha chairman, he said.

Talking to reporters, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said leaders wanted to ask more from the prime minister about the farm laws as there were some apprehensions that these legislations might again come in some other form.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi said there is no tradition of the prime minister attending the all-party meet.

Some Opposition leaders raised the issue of extended jurisdiction of the BSF in some states, including West Bengal.

TMC leaders Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Derek O'Brien raised the issue of bringing laws on MSP and disinvestment of profitable public sector units.

AAP leader Sanjay Singh, however, walked out of the meet, claiming he was not allowed to speak and raise issues related to farmers, especially on MSP.

Several parties demanded that the Women's Reservation Bill be taken up in the session, sources said. 

The ruling BJP and main Opposition party Congress have issued whips to their MPs to be present in higher attendance during the session.

The Congress has convened a meeting of various opposition parties on Monday which is likely to be skipped by TMC and NCP leader Sharad Pawar. According Kharge, while TMC MPs would be busy at a party event in Kolkata, Pawar has to attend a marriage.

The BJP in its parliamentary party meeting on Sunday stressed on higher attendance of its MPs and asked them come prepared to take on the Opposition.

Even in the NDA meeting, also held on Sunday, allies called for better coordination among partners of the ruling alliance, while few allies also thanked the government for its decision to repeal the farm laws.

Prime Minister Modi who usually attends these BJP and NDA meets, was not present in any of them.

In the NDA meet, Apna Dal (S) leader and Union Minister Anupriya Patel raised the issue of 69,000 teacher vacancies in Uttar Pradesh. NPP leader Agatha Sangma urged the government to repeal the Citizenship Amendment Act on lines of the decision to repeal the farm laws, keeping in mind the sentiments of the people from the North-East. About 40 leaders of various parties also met on Sunday at Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu's residence and discussed issues to be raised in the session.

Some expressed concern over recent comments by the Supreme Court over the functioning of Parliament and other legislatures, and the manner of lawmaking by them.

Besides the repeal bill, the government has listed 25 draft legislations for the session, including one to ban all but a few private cryptocurrencies while allowing an official digital currency by the RBI.