After Saying No To Farm Bills, Kerala To Approach SC; Other States Also Bring Amendments

The farmers continue to protest against the three recent contentious farm laws passed by the central government, the Kerala government has decided to move the Supreme Court against them.

According to Kerala Agriculture Minister VS Sunil Kumar, the state government has already given instructions to the Advocate General (AG) in this regard.

BCCL

"We will move the Supreme Court this week itself. The anti-farmer laws will not be implemented in Kerala and an alternative law will be considered," Kumar said.

The minister said the central government does not have the constitutional power to make laws unilaterally on matters falling under the purview of the state government.

"What has happened now is a blatant violation of the constitution and we will challenge it in the apex court," he said.

AFP

Kerala is the latest opposition ruled state to say no to the three newly enacted farm laws--Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

Other states follow suit too

Earlier, Congress-ruled governments of Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan had drafted and legislated their own farm Bills citing that the new laws violated federal principles as agriculture is a State subject under the Constitution.

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In Rajasthan, the bills passed by the Rajasthan government on November 2 to bypass the Central farm laws, has been put on hold by Governor Kalraj Mishra.

The three bills withheld by the Governor include Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill, 2020; The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill, 2020; and The Essential Commodities (Special Provisions and Rajasthan Amendment) Bill, 2020.

The Maharashtra government had made it clear that the new laws won't be implemented in the state.

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This comes even as thousands of farmers from Punjab have been protesting in Delhi for the second week.

Farmer protests since November 26 in Delhi

Farmers have been protesting on different borders of the national capital since November 26 against the laws which they say will open up them for exploitation by corporate companies.

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Farmers' leaders have held several rounds of talks with the government but all of them remained inconclusive so far. After the fifth round of talks, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has called another meeting on December 9.

Though the government has agreed to amend some of the laws, the protesting farmers say anything less than a complete repeal will end the demonstrations.