During the upcoming two-day assembly session, the West Bengal government shall table a resolution opposing the Centre's new farm laws and demanding their immediate repeal.
The assembly session is scheduled to begin from Januar 27, whereas the resolution against the laws shall be tabled on January 28, shared Partha Chatterjee, state Parliamentary Affairs Minister. The issue of the three agriculture laws shall be discussed in a two-and-a-half-hour-long session, added Chatterjee.
So far five non-BJP ruled states- Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Kerala and Delhi- have passed resolutions in their respective assemblies against the central government's new agri-laws.
An all-party meeting was convened by Speaker Biman Banerjee at his chamber in the assembly during the day.
The state government's effort to bring the Congress and the Left Front on the same page to table a joint resolution failed as the opposition parties wanted to bring it under Rule 185.
"They wanted to bring the same resolution under Rule 185. What is the point of bringing two resolutions on the same issue under two different rules? When the government has submitted a resolution, it is expected that it will be accepted," Chatterjee said. While under rule 169, the government pilots a resolution in the assembly whereas under rule 185 any party can move a resolution in the house.
Leader of the Opposition and senior Congress leader Abdul Mannan said that the TMC government does not have any moral authority to bring a resolution against the centre's new farm laws as the state administration too had passed similar laws a few years back.
"Unless the TMC government withdraws the similar laws it had passed a few years back, there is no meaning in bringing a resolution against the centre's new farm laws. The resolution that we had submitted had those points but the state administration was not willing to accept it," he said.
The Left Front and the Congress, however, said that they will take part in the discussion and place their views in the House.
BJP legislative party leader Manoj Tigga said his party will oppose the resolution.
Apart from the resolution, two bills pertaining to the establishment of an agricultural university and GST-related issues will be tabled.
(With PTI inputs)
