West Bengal passes resolution against three farm laws, sixth state to do so

The West Bengal Legistlative Assembly passed a resolution against Centre's three farm laws on Thursday, becoming the sixth state to do so.

State's parliamentary affairs minister Partha Chatterjee moved the resolution which seeks immediate withdrawal of the laws by the government.

Addressing the Assembly, chief minister Mamata Banerjee said that the Centre should either withdraw the new laws or step down.

The CPI(M) and the Congress supported the resolution but demanded that the state government withdraw similar laws it had passed a few years back, news agency PTI reported.

Marking their protest against the resolution, the BJP MLAs staged a walkout shouting "Jai Shri Ram" slogans.

The resolution against the laws was tabled by chief minister Mamata Banerjee earlier in the day.

Before Bengal, five states - Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Kerala - had rejected the implementation of these laws in their states.

The three farm laws, termed as reforms by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and passed by Parliament in September, are expected to essentially change the way India’s farmers do business by creating free markets, as opposed to a network of decades-old, government marketplaces, allowing traders to stockpile essential commodities for future sales and laying down a national framework for contract farming.

These laws are the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020.