<span style="color: #222222;">Both the houses of Parliament witnessed noisy scenes and repeated adjournments this week with the Opposition insisting on the repeal of the three farm laws despite the government's assurance that it is willing to discuss the issue both inside and outside Parliament. Only a few questions and some matters of public importance were taken up in the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha in the morning and evening shifts functioned in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. Presiding Officers of both the houses had a tough time in the conduct of the proceedings during the first week of the Budget Session. The government's stand was repeatedly conveyed by Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Parliamentary Affairs Minister and several BJP leaders. Opposition members from Congress, DMK and Trinamool Congress and others repeatedly trooped into the well of the house raising slogans demanding the repeal of the laws. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi accused the Opposition parties of backtracking on agreement that the government had reached with them to break the deadlock. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla urged the members to return to their seats and follow the COVID-19 protocol. He suggested that the members can raise the issues during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address. But the Opposition members, however, refused to relent forcing the Speaker to adjourn the house.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">In the Rajya Sabha, Opposition disrupted the proceedings of the house over the issue of farmers. Members belonging to Congress, Trinamool Congress, RJD, DMK and Left parties forced repeated adjournments of the house. Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said, the farmers have been camping at Delhi's borders for more than two months and the issue needs to be discussed. He said that farmers' unions have been staging protests since late November demanding the repeal of the three farm laws. On Wednesday, the Rajya Sabha took up discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address. On the demand made by members of various parties, the house earlier decided to increase the time for the debate on the Motion of Thanks by five hours to 15 hours. Initiating the debate, Bhubaneswar Kalita of BJP asserted that the new farm laws were passed after extensive deliberations in the Parliament. The Opposition members moved as many as 118 amendments to the Motion of Thanks. Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad asked the government to withdraw the three farm laws without making it a prestige issue. He said, disrespect to the national flag cannot be tolerated. He condemned violence at the Red Fort on Republic Day during the farmers' tractor rally. He suggested that the Prime Minister should himself make the announcement on the repeal of the laws. Mr. Azad also made a case for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and holding Assembly elections there.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">On Thursday, the Rajya Sabha resumed discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the Presidential Address. While Opposition members demanded the repeal of the farm laws, the BJP defended the new laws saying it is committed to increasing the income of farmers. Participating in the discussion, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, the government is committed to the welfare of the farmers and will help increase their income. He said, the government will provide one lakh crore rupees additional income to the farmers that will be generated by converting waste into energy. Mr. Pradhan attacked the Congress for not bringing a law on Minimum Support Price (MSP) of crops despite being in power for long. He said, yet the Opposition party is questioning the government on the issue. According to Mr. Pradhan, MSP payment made to paddy growers under the Modi Government has increased to 1.72 lakh crore rupees this year, from 63,000 crore rupees during previous regime in 2013-14. </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Defending the three new farm laws in the Rajya Sabha, Jyotiraditya Scindia of the BJP said, the government has taken a host of steps in the last six years to increase their income. He questioned the Opposition for changing their stance on agricultural market reforms. He said, the NDA Government has been successful in handling the COVID-19 pandemic and also turning the crisis into an opportunity.<br />''  </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Former Prime Minister and JD(S) leader H. D. Deve Gowda called farmers the backbone of the country and said, miscreants and anti-social elements were behind the events of Republic Day and all political parties have condemned their actions and agree that they need to be punished.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Proceedings in the Lok Sabha were a virtual washout on Friday as relentless protests by Opposition members against the three farm laws continued. The house was adjourned first till 6 P.M. and then for the day after Opposition members disrupted the proceedings demanding repeal of the three farm laws. They also shouted slogans by trooping into the well of the house. As soon as the house convened at 4 P.M., members belonging to Congress, Left parties and the DMK rushed to the well raising slogans against the new laws and displayed placards. Speaker Om Birla, however, continued with the Question Hour with Health Minister Harsh Vardhan responding to supplementaries on COVID-19 vaccination. As Opposition members continued to raise slogans, Mr. Birla appealed to them to participate in the Question Hour saying that an important issue related to vaccination was being discussed. Around 4.15 P.M., Mr. Birla adjourned the House till 6 P.M. With no let up in the protests when the house reconvened in the evening, the Speaker adjourned its proceedings till Monday after his plea to Opposition members to go back to their seats, went unheeded. When the house met again at 6 P.M., the Opposition continued to disrupt the proceedings. Speaker Om Birla adjourned the house till Monday.<br />''  </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The three-day debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address in the Rajya Sabha came to an end on Friday with the government strongly defending the farm laws and said, its offer to amend them should not be viewed as if there were flaws. As many as 50 speakers from 25 political parties participated in the debate in the Rajya Sabha on the Motion of Thanks-18 from BJP, five from Congress and 27 from other Opposition parties. The Agriculture Minister said, the laws give farmers alternatives to sell their produce outside Mandis and unlike the State Government-notified market places, such sale would not attract any tax. He said, the agitation should have been against the tax levied  by state government on sale made in mandis, but strangely the protests are against freeing of the system from such taxes. The Minister said, while the Central law on contract farming frees the farmers from paying taxes on their sale and also empowers them to exit agreement with traders, as per the provisions of Punjab Contract Law, a farmer could be sent to jail or liable to pay penalty of up to five lakh rupees for violation of agreement. Mr. Tomar reiterated that the NDA Government and the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi are fully committed towards farmers. He said, the government has held several rounds of talks while respecting their protest. Mr. Tomar said, the government has made it clear that the APMC system will not end. He said, if the government is ready to make amendments it should not be construed that there are shortcomings in the legislations. He said, but the farmers are protesting and people in one state are victims of misinformation. He alleged that farmers have been instigated and misled that these laws would snatch their farm lands. Mr. Tomar also said, the government has made efforts to double farmers income and increase share of agriculture sector in the country's GDP.<br />''  </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Various Opposition parties like the Congress, Shivsena, SAD, NCP, Samajwadi Party and Left parties demanded that the three new farm laws be repealed and fresh ones brought after wider consultations.<br />''  </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Participating in the debate, the Opposition members attacked the government and alleged that government is defaming the agitation of farmers. Sanjay Raut of Shivsena said, the farmers, who were known as 'warriors' when they fought the Mughals and the British, are now fighting for their rights on Delhi borders. Praful Patel of NCP said, the Centre and states have together fought the COVID-19 pandemic along with medical professionals and the mortality rate in the country was low as compared to other countries. He said, when the government is talking of working for the welfare of farmers, why did it not send the farm laws to a Select Committee for wider consultations to avoid the situation that has arisen now. He also clarified that former Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar's letter of 2007 is being circulated to misrepresent the facts as no bill was brought to Parliament. Satish Chandra Misra of BSP demanded that the government should repeal the three new farm laws and also provide legal guarantee of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) on all crops. Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa of Shiromani Akali Dal said, the Prime Minister should intervene and listen to the farmers' demands. He said, the government should accept the farmers' demand to repeal the three laws and said, all Opposition parties are also demanding the same. Pratap Singh Bajwa of the Congress demanded the setting up of a committee headed by a Supreme Court Judge to conduct an impartial probe within two months into the incidents on 26th of January that led to violence. IUML member Abdul Wahab demanded restoration of MPLADs fund. Earlier, CPI member Binoy Viswam hit out at the government saying the policies of the government are squarely responsible for the situation. Vinay P. Sahasrabuddhe of the BJP said, the government is committed to the welfare of farmers and has taken a slew of steps in the last six years in that direction. Anand Sharma of the Congress demanded repeal of the three farm laws. He said, the economic growth was sluggish before the COVID-19 affected the country and the situation worsened after the pandemic hit the nation, especially due to lockdown which resulted in many job losses. K. J. Alphonse of the BJP defended the three farm laws and said there is nothing wrong in them. He also accused the Opposition of sowing the seeds of dissent and hatred against the government. Digvijay Singh of the Congress challenged the BJP for a debate on the issue of minimum support price (MSP) for crops. Neeraj Shekhar of the BJP asked the protesting farmers to recognise people who boycotted the Presidential address and now participating in the debate to give speech on injustice meted out to farmers. Sasmit Patra of the BJD attacked the government for not properly implementing the Swaminathan Committee report on MSP. Subhash Chandra Bose Pilli of YSRCP raised state issues such as special status to Andhra Pradesh and approval of revised cost estimate of the Polavaram Irrigation project. Shamsher Singh Manhas of the BJP said the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was neglected by previous governments. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now working towards the development of Jammu and Kashmir and is ensuring funds are available for that.</span><br />''  <br />