Prez Kovind Gives Assent to Farm Bills, SAD Calls It “Dark Day”

Amid massive farmer protests across India, President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to the contentious farm bills.

Farmers block a railway track during their protest against the new farm bills, at Devi Dass Pura village, about 20 kilometers from Amritsar, Friday, 25 September.

(Photo: PTI)

Amid massive farmer protests across India, President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday, 27 September, gave his assent to the three contentious farm bills.

The Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 had been passed in both Houses of Parliament.

Earlier, on Saturday, the BJP’s oldest ally, Shiromani Akali Dal, had said that it was quitting the NDA over its differences with the government on these bills.

Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal in Chandigarh said, “It's really a dark day for India that the President has refused to act as the nation's conscience. We were very hopeful that he would return these bills to Parliament for reconsideration as demanded by SAD and some other opposition parties.”

Despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling the passage of the bills a “historic moment” for India’s agricultural sector, various farmers’ organisations had called for a complete shutdown on Friday against the government’s ‘anti-farmer’ policies.

With Minimum Support Price not finding a mention in any of the bills, farmers from Punjab and Haryana and other states have been demanding the government to legalise MSP system, to safeguard them from exploitations by private players.

On Sunday, hailing the contribution of Indian farmers in ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative, Prime Minister Modi reiterated that the farmers would benefit from the new agriculture-related bills once they become laws.