A day before the start of the Budget Session of Parliament, 16 Opposition parties led by the Congress, NCP, Shiv Sena and the TMC decided to boycott the president’s address to the joint sitting of both the Houses in solidarity with the farmers protesting the new farm laws.
The Opposition parties also demanded the repeal of the three farm laws and criticised the central government for remaining unresponsive to the demands of lakhs of farmers protesting against the agri laws.
Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, National Conference, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena, Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Communist Party of India (Marxist), CPI, Indian Union Muslim League, RSP, Peoples Democratic Party, MDMK, Kerala Congress (M) and the All India United Democratic Front are the parties that will boycott the president’s address.
In a joint statement, they said the new farm laws threaten the future of Indian agriculture, which sustains over 60 per cent of the country’s population, and the livelihood of crores of farmers. They also alleged that the farm bills were brought without any consultations with states and farmer unions.
President Ram Nath Kovind would address the joint sitting of the two Houses of Parliament on January 29 announcing the start of the Budget Session of Parliament.
