Sonia Gandhi advises Congress-ruled states to pass laws to negate farm Acts, as provided in Constitution

Congress president Sonia Gandhi has advised Congress-ruled states to explore the possibilities to pass laws in their respective states under Article 254(2) of the Constitution which allows the state legislatures to pass a law to negate the Anti-Agriculture Central laws encroaching upon state’s jurisdiction under the Constitution,” KC Venugopal, MP & AICC General Secretary In-charge for Organization said on Monday.

“This would enable the states to bypass the unacceptable anti-farmers' provisions in the three draconian Agricultural laws including the abolition of MSP and disruption of APMCs in Congress-ruled states,” he said in a statement.

“This would also alleviate the farmers from the grave injustice done by the Modi Government & BJP,” he added.

The farm bills were passed in the Rajya Sabha amid much controversy and they became law on Sunday when the President signed on them giving his assent. Meanwhile farmers across the country have been agitating against these new laws as they fear whatever security they have due to minimum support price will be gone and they will be at the mercy of large retailers as far as pricing of their produce is concerned.

In Punjab, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has said that they will challenge the new laws constitutionally and legally, even as Congress MP from Thrissur in Kerala, TN Prathapan, on Monday moved the Supreme Court challenging the validity of the Acts.

Several workers and farmers organisation along with the Congress and JD (U) had called for Karnataka Bandh on Monday which brought the state capital to halt. In Uttar Pradesh too the Congress and other organisations held protest. There are reports of farmers protest from Goa, Haryana and Tamil Nadu too.