New agriculture laws will enslave farmers: Rahul Gandhi

Attacking the Centre over the agriculture sector reform Bills passed by the Parliament, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that these would "enslave our farmers" and extended support to the call for 'Bharat Bandh'.

Several orgsations today are holding nationwide protests and "chakka jam" against the three farm Bills passed by the Parliament.

"A flawed GST destroyed MSMEs. The new agriculture laws will enslave our Farmers. #ISupportBharatBandh," Gandhi's tweet read.

Earlier today, party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too had supported the call for 'Bharat Bandh' through a tweet.

"The MSP will be snatched from farmers. Through contract farming they will be forced to be made into slaves of the billionaires. They will neither get the right prices, nor respect. The farmer will be turned to a worker on his own fields. BJP's agriculture bills makes one remember the rule of East India Company. We will not let this injustice happen.#BharatBandh," she tweeted (roughly translated from Hindi).

According to the Centre, these Bills will help small and marginal farms by allowing them to sell produce outside mandis and sign agreements with agri-business firms and doing away with stock-holding limits on key commodities.

The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 were passed by the Parliament on Sunday.

( With inputs from ANI )