A day after a Standing Committee report that requested the federal government to implement the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 in “letter and spirit” was tabled in Parliament, Congress MPs who’re a part of the panel on Saturday tried to disassociate themselves from it.
While Congress chief Rahul Gandhi referred to as for withdrawal of all three farm legal guidelines, and his occasion colleague Jairam Ramesh referred to as the report a “misrepresentation”, TMC Rajya Sabha member Derek O’Brien referred to as it a “con job”.
BJP MP Ajay Misra Teni, who as appearing chairman presided over the committee assembly on March 18, nevertheless, stated the report was adopted with consensus of all members.
The Act is likely one of the three contentious legal guidelines in opposition to which farmers are protesting. Members of TMC, AAP, NCP and Shiv Sena are additionally a part of the panel.
In a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Congress MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka (Koraput) stated, “I write to you to dissociate myself from the Eleventh Report of the Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution on the subject material—‘Price Rise of Essential Commodities—Causes and Effects’ adopted on 18.03.2021 and tabled in Parliament in each Houses on 19.03.2021.
“Further, the Report recommends to the Government … ‘to implement the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 in letter and spirit…’ I completely dissociate myself with this recommendation, and record my dissent to the Report, in line with the stand expressed by the Congress, in both Houses of Parliament and in various press conferences and public meetings, where we have opposed [the law] tooth and nail…”
Ulaka’s two-page letter, dated March 20, was additionally despatched to the Rajya Sabha Chairman and chairman of the Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution.
Ulaka stated, “In fact, during the meeting on 16.12.2020, I expressed my opposition against the three farm laws to the Hon’ble Chairperson and the members of the Committee.”
Ulaka stated, “The Draft Report on the subject matter was circulated only via e-mail by the related Section of the Committee at 19:00 hrs on 17.03.2021 and adopted between 10:00 hrs and 10:30 hrs on 18.03.2021, under Acting Chairperson Shri Ajay Misra Teni.”
He stated the report was tabled in Parliament with out recording his dissenting opinion. “I was not present when the report was adopted as the meeting was called in a short notice of merely 15 hours…,” he stated.
“Therefore, it is highly irregular that such an important Report was circulated at a very short notice, and without recording any dissenting opinion, was tabled in Parliament,” Ulaka stated.
The report, in addition to the Lok Sabha web site, mentions Ulaka’s title within the record of members who attended the committee assembly on March 18, the day the report was adopted.
Congress Lok Sabha MP from Kasaragod, Rajmohan Unnithan, additionally wrote to the Lok Sabha Speaker, Rajya Sabha Chairman and chairman of the Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution.
Unnithan advised The Sunday Express over the cellphone from Thiruvananthapuram that the committee’s assembly had earlier been postponed twice as a result of lack of quorum. “This time they held the meeting on March 17, which I could not attend. I have written to the Speaker to dissociate myself from the report.”
BJP member Teni advised The Sunday Express, “No member of the committee gave me the dissent note. The report was adopted with consensus of all members.”
Two different Congress members — Ve. Vaithilingam and Rajmani Patel — couldn’t be reached for a remark.
Reiterating his demand for repeal of the three farm legal guidelines, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi tweeted, “Krishi virodhi sarkar ko teenon kanoon wapas lene hi honge. 56 chhodo, ham ek inch bhi peeche nahin hatenge! (This anti-farmer government must withdraw all three laws. Forget 56, we will not retreat even an inch).”
Congress’s Ramesh tweeted: “MPs of the Congress party DID NOT ask for implementation of the Essential Commodities Act. The Standing Committee Report is a misrepresentation!”
TMC’s O’Brien tweeted: “This is the BJP cheap ‘n dirty tricks department in action. Con job was done when Chairman of #Parliament Committee was not at meeting. @aitc position on #FarmLaws and Essential Commodities Act well documented. Withdraw draconian laws #FarmersProtest.”
