On December 31 when the state Government convenes a special session to bypass the farm laws brought by the Narendra Modi Government, Kerala becomes the fifth state to adopt a stand against the Centre on the three farm laws.
Aam Aadmi Party ruled Delhi and Congress ruled states of Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan have already passed resolutions against the farm laws. Delhi Chief Minister Aravind Kejriwal even tore the copies of the farm laws. All these four states passed their own laws to bypass the farm laws of the centre.
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan gave the nod to convene the assembly on December 28.
The governor had given the consent after much controversy was raised following his denial of the state government’s earlier proposal to convene the special session on December 23. Khan gave the accent only after seeking clarifications on the purpose of convening the urgent session.
Kerala is likely to pass a resolution against the three farm laws passed by the Modi government in September. The session that will commence at 9 am will be only for an hour.
Earlier the Governor had denied consent for the December 23 session, stating that the state government had not convened to him on the urgency of the brief session. Even the opposition had come out against the governor’s decision.
In a letter to the Government, the governor stated that the government wanted to convene a special session to discuss an issue that was not under the jurisdiction of the state to give any solution. In reply, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote a letter to the governor stating that the decision was regrettable and that the governor was bound by the advice of the council of ministers.
The state government had again decided in its cabinet meeting on December 24 to recommend the session. Meanwhile, State Law Minister A K Balan and Agricultural Minister V S Sunil Kumar met Khan.
It is over a month that farmers from Punjab, Haryana and other regions are protesting against the three farm laws.
After the four states and Kerala passing the resolution, Maharashtra is likely to follow the same. The Maharashtra government had already issued a notification staying the implementation of the new laws in the state.
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government in Odisha passed a state cabinet resolution against the Agri laws.