VIJAYAWADA: While majority of opposition parties have boycotted the presidential address demanding cancellation of the three new agriculture laws ahead of Parliament’s budget session on Friday, ruling YSR Congress and principle opposition Telugu Desam did not do so, though they supported protests of farmers in AP against the three new laws.
Earlier, ruling YSRC and opposition had supported the farm bills in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. But subsequently, they staged protests in Andhra Pradesh against the farm laws. TD supported farmers unions and associations’ protests and agitations against the three new laws terming them as “black acts”. YSRC also expressed its “sympathy” towards the agitators.
Interestingly, ruling YSRC, which had supported the new laws in Parliament, went on to support Bharat Bandh called by opposition parties on December 8 in support of farmers demanding cancellation of three new agriculture laws.
TD criticised the action of YSRC of supporting agriculture laws in Parliament and objecting to the same outside the Parliament. TD leaders at the time claimed that they had proposed amendments to the new agriculture laws in support of farmers and they would continue their fight for the rights of farmers.
Meanwhile, YSRC MP V. Vijaya Sai Reddy, who attended the Parliament session, said that YSRC has decided to propose amendments to the presidential address during his motion of thanks to the presidential address. He said YSRC has proposed a private bill for establishment of a National Commission for Farmers and increase of budgetary allocations to agriculture.
The ruling party MP further said that in the parliament’s budget session, YSRC members are going to demand a special railway zone at Visakhapatnam, national status for Polavaram, special category status to AP in accordance with AP Reorganisation Act, and minimum support price for all agriculture produce.
