Opposition gives suspension of business notice in Rajya Sabha over farmers' agitation

Amid the continued protests on the agrarian laws by the agitating farmers, the opposition has given the suspension of business notice under rule 267 in Rajya Sabha over farmers' agitation. Communist Party of India (CPI) MP Binoy Viswam, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and Congress MP Deepender Hooda have given Suspension of Business Notice over the three farm Laws. The Rajya Sabha Chairman is empowered to accept the notice under the said rule or dismiss it on his discretion. Earlier, at the beginning of the budget session of the parliament on Friday, about 20 opposition parties had boycotted the president's address as a mark of protest against the farm laws.  

The first phase of the budget session which started on January 29 will conclude on February 13 whereas, the second phase will begin from March 8 to April 8. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday presented the Union Budget with giving much emphasis on Health care, Defence and infrastructure spending amid the times of the pandemic and volatility with neighbouring adversaries.

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With regards to the agriculture sector, the finance minister allocated Rs 75,100 crore for the farmers of the country. She said that there has been a significant increase in the procurement of rice and wheat while also stating that the money paid to farmers has jumped remarkably since 2013-14 when the Modi government took over. She said the amount paid to wheat farmers has gone up by more than 121% while the amount paid to rice farmers has gone up by a massive 170.23% during the Modi government.

"Our government is committed to the welfare of farmers. The MSP (minimum support price) regime has undergone a sea change to assure price that is at least 1.5 times the cost of production across all commodities," Sitharaman said, adding that "the procurement has also continued to increase at a steady pace. This has resulted in an increase in payment to farmers substantially".

Meanwhile, the farmers continue to protest against the farm laws at the borders of Delhi even after the Republic Day violence that followed at the tractor's parade If the Republic day violence wasn't enough, clashes broke out on Friday between the protesting farmers and the local villagers on the Singhu border who had come appeal to the farmers on Friday to vacate the protest area. The two sides pelted stones and attacked each other with sticks, leading to a further escalation in violence. The Delhi Police had to intervene which was met with stone-pelting. Thereafter, to control the escalating situation, the police was forced to lathi-charge the aggressive mob and fired tear gas shells. Several cops including SHO of Alipur suffered injuries in the clash at the Singhu Border.

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