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16 opposition parties to boycott President's address

A total of 16 Opposition parties have decided to boycott the president's address to the joint sitting of both the Houses of Parliament in solidarity with the farmers protesting the new farm laws. The 16 Opposition parties also demanded a probe into the Centre's role in violence on Republic Day in Delhi.

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Published : Jan 28, 2021, 3:14 PM IST

New Delhi: As many as 16 opposition parties, led by the Indian National Congress, on Thursday decided to boycott President Ram Nath Kovind's address to the Parliament on January 29, as a mark of protest against the three contentious farm laws.

However, Mayawati led-Bahujan Samaj Party is not part of the list.

It is a constitutional requirement for the President of India to address both the houses of Parliament, where he usually outlines the Government's agenda and its plan for the upcoming year. The Union Budget will be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1 at 11 am.

The list of opposition parties who will skip the President's address includes Indian National Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC), DMK, All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), Shiv Sena, Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD), CPI(M), CPI, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), RSP, PDP, MDMK, Kerala Congress (M) and AIUDF.

The joint statement released by the Opposition Parties said, "The three Farm laws are an assault on the rights of States and violate the federal spirit of Constitution. If not repealed, these laws will effectively dismantle the edifice of National Food Security that rests upon- MSP, the Government's procurement and Public Distribution System."

Read:Post violence, SKU looks to repair broken image of farmers' stir

"The farm bills word brought without and consultations with the states and farmer unions and lacked National consensus. Parliamentary scrutiny was bypassed and the laws were pushed through muzzling the opposition in brazen violation of parliamentary rules, practices and conventions. The very constitutional validity of these laws remains in question," it further added.

While condemning the violence in Delhi on January 26, the parties also demanded an impartial investigation in the matter, claiming that it will reveal the Central Government's "nefarious role in orchestrating those events".

Reaffirming their demand to repeal the three laws, the Opposition stated, "The Prime Minister and the BJP government remain arrogant, adamant and undemocratic in their response. Shocked by the insensitivity of the government, we, opposition political parties, reaffirming the collective demand for the repeal of anti-farmer laws and in solidarity with Indian farmers have decided to Boycott president's address in both the houses of Parliament on Friday."

The opposition party leaders, led by Congress President Sonia Gandhi, are expected to have a virtual meeting today to prepare a joint strategy for the upcoming Budget Session.

Read:Tractors used as tanks, big mistake to allow rally on R-Day: Security Experts

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