‘Stunned and pained’: Nitish Kumar condemns MPs’ misbehaviour with Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has condemned the behaviour of opposition MPs with Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh on the floor of the House. Kumar said that the attack on the Chair was against parliamentary traditions and dignity.

“The attack on Rajya Sabha deputy chairman is against parliamentary traditions and dignity. It is condemnable. I am stunned and pained,” he said in a tweet on Sunday.

“Today’s incident has harmed the dignity of Parliament. We must keep in mind the dignity of Parliament and honour the chair in democracy,” Kumar added.

The Rajya Sabha on Sunday passed the two key farm bills — Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, amid a ruckus as opposition members climbed on to the Chairman’s podium, flung the rule book at Harivansh and tore official papers.

Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien entered the Well of the House and tore papers and yanked the mic off the Chairman.

According to the government, the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 gives freedom to farmers to sell their produce outside the notified APMC market yards (mandis). This is aimed at facilitating remunerative prices through competitive alternative trading channels. Farmers will not be charged any cess or levy for sale of their produce under thd act.

The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 gives farmers the right to enter into a contract with agribusiness firms, processors, wholesalers, exporters, or large retailers for the sale of future farming produce at a pre-agreed price. It seeks to transfer the risk of market unpredictability from farmers to sponsors.

But the opposition parties argue that the government is trying to hand over the farming sector to corporates and said September 20 will be remembered as ‘anti-farmer day’.

The two bills were passed by the Lok Sabha last week.