States not competent to legislate on Centre's farm laws, Bill passed by Parliament is supreme, says BJP Rajasthan MP
Oct 31, 2020
By Kumar Gaurav
New Delhi [India], October 31 : The Rajasthan government on Saturday introduced three bills in the state Assembly on Saturday to negate the impact of the farm laws recently enacted by the Centre.
This move follows after the Punjab Assembly, earlier this month, adopted a resolution against the farm laws and unanimously passed four bills to counter the Centre's contentious legislations.
Shanti Dhariwal, Rajasthan's Parliamentary Affairs Minister introduced the Essential Commodities (Special Provisions and Rajasthan Amendment) Bill 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill 2020 and the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation and Rajasthan Amendment) Bill 2020.
He also introduced the Code of Procedure (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill 2020 on the first day of the Assembly session.
It is a major development that could trigger a fresh row over the Centre's recent agriculture laws.
Congress-ruled Punjab had on October 20, passed four bills, three of which counter the Centre's new agriculture laws, introduced last month. Among other things, these bills make buying of wheat and paddy below the minimum support price (MSP) a punishable crime in the state.
Now Rajasthan, another Congress-ruled state led by Ashok Gehlot has introduced the bill in Vidhan Sabha to negate the Centre's farms bill.
The BJP MP from Rajasthan, who previously has also served as Minister of State (MoS) Law, PP Choudhary said these bills or resolutions against the Centre's farm bill are of no use as it will not hold up legally.
"These farm bills are related to the Union list and Concurrent list and the Parliament is competent to legislate on it. The state legislatures are not competent to legislate on these three farm laws. Once the Parliament passes the bill it does not have overriding effects of any other bills," Choudhary said.
He said that the attempts by Punjab and now by Rajasthan are inconsistent with the Constitution of India.
"Congress ruled states must stop doing this as they are just doing it for political mileage as their attempt will fail as the law made by the Parliament is supreme legally. So states should now start working according to the farm laws to improve the condition of the farmers," he added.
