Kolkata: Dubbing the three Farm Acts as 'unconstitutional' and 'anti-national', Trinamool Congress MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar urged the farmers to oppose the same wholeheartedly.
These Acts are — the Essential Commodities Amendment Act, 2020, the Farmers Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the farmers Produce Trade and Commerce Bill, 2020.
Addressing a press conference at Trinamool Bhavan on Friday afternoon she said: "The Centre had passed the Act flouting the Indian Constitution. Under the 7th schedule of the Indian Constitution, agriculture is a state subject. The Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC), that used to look after the interest of the farmer, has been done away with. The Centre is trying to grab all the power from the state government."
She demanded that the BJP should tell the nation that for whose interest the Acts had been passed. "The BJP government is working at the instruction of some foreign country and it should tell the name of the country that is guiding the Centre. The Acts will help the multi nationals to do business in India. Like other sectors, the Centre has sold the agriculture sector as well," she alleged.
She insisted that the Indian farmers follow the tradition. "The farmers use traditionally made seeds and use them during the sowing season. The multinationals will force the farmers to use genetically modified seeds, which require more chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Consequently, more harm is done to the consumers," she explained.
After coming to power in 2011, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took several measures to ensure the safety and prosperity of the farmers. The income of farmers has increased to Rs 2.97 lakh annually from Rs 90,000. "Farmers don't have to pay land tax ( khajna) and premium of crop insurance. The Central government has given Krishi Karman award to the state government in recognition of the pro-farmer measures," she said.
The Centre has removed cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onion and potatoes from the list of essential commodities. This move has affected the consumers.