Why are NDA allies resigning, asks KTR

The Union government on Sunday passed crucial bills in Parliament, including the Agriculture Bill with Prime Minister Narendra Modi terming it a “watershed moment in the history of Indian agriculture”.

The Prime Minister later took to his Twitter handle. “A watershed moment in the history of Indian agriculture! Congratulations to our hardworking farmers on the passage of key bills in Parliament, which will ensure a complete transformation of the agriculture sector as well as empower crores of farmers,” he tweeted.

The Telangana government on September 9 introduced several legislations in the Assembly, intended to overhaul the revenue administration by simplifying agriculture and non-agricultural land transactions, preventing land encroachments, and eradicating corruption at the grassroot level. The IT Minister believes that the Telangana government’s revenue bills did not receive any backlash from the farming community, but the central government’s Agriculture Bills had faced protests from various quarters, mainly from farmers.

On Monday, IT and MAUD minister K T Rama Rao took a jibe at the Modi government for passing the agriculture bills. Taking to his Twitter handle, KTR commented, “When Telangana legislature passed the farmer friendly Revenue Bill last week, there was widespread jubilation and cheer among the farming community across the state. If the #Agriculture Bills2020 is truly a watershed moment, why is no farmer celebrating and why are NDA allies resigning.”

KTR was referring to the deep fissures between the ruling BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal alliance over the farm bill. Union Food Processing Minister Harismrat Kaur had quit from the Cabinet in protest against the three farm bills calling them “anti-farmer ordinances and legislations”.

The Telangana government had been critical of the Modi government on a host of issues, mainly the Electricity Act. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar had recently passed a resolution in the Assembly opposing the Power Bill calling it draconian law with an aim to usurp the autonomy of the state governments. KCR said the Power Bill would have an adverse impact directly on the management of the state electricity utilities. He argued that the Power Bill is against the interest of farmers and poor domestic consumers.