New Delhi: From a silent march in the Parliament complex to carrying bundles of paddy crop in their hands while walking to Vijay Chowk, members of various opposition parties on Wednesday protested in unusual ways against the contentious farm bills passed recently. Most opposition MPs boycotted Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha proceedings for the second consecutive day on Wednesday and protested both inside and outside the Parliament complex against the three agriculture-related bills.
First, the Rajya Sabha MPs took out a silent protest march within the complex carrying placards with messages such as “Save Farmers, Save Workers, Save Democracy”. They marched from the Mahatma Gandhi statue to the Ambedkar statue on Parliament premises. They also stood in a line before Gandhi’s statue. Members of the Congress, Trinamool Congress, CPI, CPI-M, DMK, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Samajwadi Party and the NCP participated in the protest.
“All MPs of the Congress and like-minded parties are marching from Gandhi statue to Ambedkar statue in Parliament protesting the anti-Farmers, anti-Workers Bills that have been rubberstamped in Parliament in the most undemocratic manner by the Modi government,” Congress chief whip in Rajya Sabha Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet. In the evening, opposition MPs from the Lok Sabha also marched from Mahatma Gandhi’s statue to Dr Ambedkar’s statue inside Parliament complex and raised slogans like “We want justice”.
Opposition MPs, including Congress’ leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, party’s deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, Shashi Tharoor, DMK MPs Kanimozhi and T R Baalu, also protested in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue against the farm bills. Carrying bundles of paddy crop in their hands, Congress Lok Sabha MPs, including Chaudhury, Hibi Eden and Gurjeet Singh Aujla walked from Parliament upto Vijay Chowk to protest against the bills.
Opposition parties in the evening also made a representation to President Ram Nath Kovind and requested him not to give his assent to the contentious farm bills. They conveyed to the President that the passage of the bills in Rajya Sabha was “unconstitutional”. Opposition members earlier held a meeting in the chamber of Ghulam Nabi Azad, the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, to formulate their further strategy against the farm bills.
The Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020, have been passed by both Houses and await presidential assent. There was a ruckus during the passage of two of the three bills in the Rajya Sabha on Sunday following which eight Opposition MPs were suspended. Most opposition MPs boycotted sittings of both Houses of Parliament on Tuesday and Wednesday. However, TDP, AIMIM, YRSCP and BJD MPs were present were present in the Lok Sabha.
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