Delhi gov’t quietly notifies one of the laws opposed by farmers!

The Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government is reported to have quietly notified one of the three farm laws that farmers from across the country are opposing. Lakhs of farmers are still gathering at the mass agitation that is now being staged on the Delhi border. Farmers representatives are also holding talks with the Union Agriculture Minister today, days after the protest reached the Delhi border crossing many state-ordered hurdles along the way. 

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leadership, meanwhile, had empathised with the farmers and offered to make arrangements needed for the farmers sitting on the peaceful dharna. However, Manoj Tiwari has all but pulled the plug on the goodwill the AAP leadership had managed to gather in the city. Tiwari, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Member of Parliament representing Delhi (North-East), made public news that the Delhi government had notified one of the contentious farm laws passed by the  BJP-led Union Government. He shared the Gazette notification by Delhi government and mocked Chief Minister Kejriwal, sharing that he “implemented” one of the “Farmers Bill 2020 in Delhi on November 23” and yet the AAP politicians are “falsely” supporting the farmers agitation against those laws.

On November 23, the Delhi government notified the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance 2020, stated the Indian Express. The notification of Ordinance now allows trade of food grains and poultry outside the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) mandi (wholesale market) premises. As reported by multiple news media, even though the Delhi government has allowed sale of fruits and vegetables outside APMCs since 2014, the central law now “allows farmers to sell food grains and poultry outside their designated mandis as well.” As the new Central government laws override the state APMC Act, APMC regulations are not implemented outside the physical boundaries of APMC mandis. The mandis continue to operate as before.

Right Wing media has noted this as an example to claim that  the farmers’ fears are baseless. The Delhi government notification has added and redefined the market zones around APMC mandis at Najafgarh, Narela and Ghazipur areas. While there has been no official word from the Delhi Government on why the law was notified just as the farmers protest reached the national capital region, this is bound to add controversy to a sensitive issue. The AAP members, meanwhile, are sharing continuous updates on social media showcasing the various ways they are supporting the farmers protest.

The Delhi Government too was invited to give a presentation to the farmers’ leaders on Minimum Support Price (MSP) and Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act at the Farmer-Government meeting, at Vigyan Bhawan, tweeted ANI. 

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