BJP corporatising the farm sector, says RS MP Ripun Bora

In the backdrop of the Farm bills being passed in the Rajya Sabha and the subsequent backlash, Congress MP in the Rajya Sabha Ripun Bora in an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat's Gautam Debroy accused the govt of working on the behest of the corporate sector. He further said that the protests against the bills will continue until the govt rolls them back.

New Delhi: Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led central government of working on the behest of the corporate sector, Congress MP in the Rajya Sabha Ripun Bora told ETV Bharat on Monday that they will continue their protests until Government rolls back the Farmers Bill.

Bora and seven other MPs from Rajya Sabha sat for an indefinite protest in front of the Gandhi statue in Parliament opposing their suspension from the House.

Rajya Sabha chairman Venkiah Naidu suspended eight MPs from the House following their unruly behaviour on Sunday. Protesting the passage of the Farmers Bill, the opposition parties on Sunday went to the well of the House and tore the Bill.

Defending their protest as "not undemocratic", Bora said that when the BJP was in opposition they used to disrupt the proceedings of the House for weeks and months.

"In a democracy, the opposition plays a vital role and BJP wants to demolish the opposition," Bora added.

He said that this Bill is totally against the farmers. "We had appealed for voting on the issue, but the government did not accept our request and passed the Bill by hook and crook," said Bora.

Seven other MPs including Derek O'Brien and Doka Sen from Trinamool Congress, Rajiv Satav, Sayed Nasir from Congress, KK Ragesh, Elaram Karine of CPM, Sanjay Singh from AAP have been suspended for the remaining days of the current Monsoon session of the Parliament.

Bora said that with this Bill, corporates will exploit the farmers at their whims and fancies.

Amid unruly protest by opposition members, the Rajya Sabha on Sunday passed by voice vote Farmer's Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement and Price Assurance and Farm Service Bill, 2020. These two Bill have earlier been passed by the Lok Sabha.

With the passage of the Bills in the Parliament, they will now go to the President for his assent.

The Bills are aimed at liberalising farm trade by ending the monopoly of mandis and loosening the grip of middlemen over trade in agricultural commodities. Opposition termed the Bills as a "death warrant" for farmers.

Congress claimed that scrapping the Mandi system will severely affect the states' revenues in turn affecting their rural and agricultural development initiative.

"We oppose the antifarmer bills which are unacceptable and condemnable. This BJP government has always remained ignorant to the farmers," said Bora.