Sugarcane farmers hold a protest demanding a higher support price for
their produce in New Delhi on Thursday. Tribune photo: Mukesh Aggarwal |
New Delhi, November 19
A determined and aggressive Opposition pushed the government on the back foot on the opening day of the winter session of Parliament today, forcing it to offer a discussion to evolve a consensus on the proposed Bill to replace the ordinance amending the Sugar (Control) Order, 1966, at an all-party meeting proposed on Monday.
Simultaneously, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also assured the farmers a re-look at the bill in his reported meeting with AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi. The government reaction came as it saw its partners, friends and foes join hands in opposing the ordinance and empathising with the cane farmers.
Apart from the BJP-led NDA, which moved the adjournment motion amid suspension of Question Hour today to discuss the sugar issue, NDA convenor got Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav, RLD chief Ajit Singh and RJD chief Lalu Prasad to support their issue. Left had already assured its support. The TDP is spearheading an agitation in favour of farmers in Andhra Pradesh. Even DMK, a member of the UPA government, spoke in support of the cane farmers.
Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar too came out in open support of the farmers today but stressed on the need for a debate on the issue.
Notwithstanding the government offer to negotiate and the Opposition willingness to “cooperate” on writing off Rs 14,000 crore which the government owes to the sugar mill owners, the issue may remain alive for a day more, with the BJP and its team insisting upon suspension of Question Hour and its adjournment motion again tomorrow.
But lest the Opposition walks away with all the credit, a worried Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal told newsmen this afternoon, “It is not the intent of the government to harm the farmers in any way. We are for protection of farmers. We are going to work out a consensus formula through discussions.”
Earlier, deputy leader of the BJP in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj also spoke in a reconciliatory tone, though she said that they would press for the suspension of Question Hour and move an adjournment motion again tomorrow. “We are willing to cooperate with the government if they just want to circumvent the payment of Rs 14,000 crore to sugar mill owners as ordered by the Supreme Court. But we can’t accept the present ordinance
because it infringes upon the states’ constitutional rights to decide on the price of sugarcane in their respective states. It also hurts the interest of the farmers,” said Swaraj.
“They (government) can call an all-party meeting at which we can advise the government how to go about it without hurting the farmers’ interests,” she added.
Sushma’s missive came after the Lok Sabha had to be adjourned for the day amidst protests by the Opposition parties seeking suspension of Question Hour and demanding consideration of their adjournment motion, moved by BJP president Rajnath Singh.
Ventilating the farmers’ concerns, the Opposition accused the government of favouring sugar mill owners from UP. The BJP also gave an adjournment motion, which they agreed to revoke today after the decision of all-party meeting on the issue, was taken.
Vociferously espousing the farmers’ cause, Rajnath vowed that they would not allow the House to function till the ordinance was rescinded. Mulayam Singh too slammed the ordinance and called it a ‘Black Law’ — a charge supported by RLD’s Ajit Singh.
