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Bengaluru, May 12: The Congress party has stoutly opposed the B S Yediyurappa regime’s move to bring an ordinance on the advice of the Centre for diluting the provisions of the Karnataka Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act.

As part of the plans to kickstart the economy which had virtually come to a standstill following the clamping of the lockdown due to coronavirus for almost two months, the Narendra Modi regime has sent advice to take the ordinance route to bring in Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) reforms to facilitate market access for farmers during the prevailing lockdown.

Going by the Centre’s advice, Karnataka has already proposed to take the ordinance route to bring in amendments to the APMC Act and adopt the Model Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2017, issued by the Centre.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president-designate D K Shivakumar and leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah have termed the move to amend the APMC Act as 'anti-farmer.'

The state government’s proposal aims to clip the powers of APMCs by promulgating the ordinance to the APMC Act, they said and argued that such reforms would only benefit MNCs such as Metro Cash and Carry, Walmart, More, Nilgiris, DMart, Reliance Fresh and other supermarket chains.

While BJP ruled Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have already amended the APMC Act, Karnataka is expected to follow the Centre’s suggestion to adopt the APLM Act, 2017.

The proposed ordinance is aimed at bypassing the APMC Act by removing restrictions on the sale of farm produce and help farmers severely hit by the COVID-19 induced lockdown, the government claimed.

The Congress leaders said many of the farmers have commenced door delivery of their produce in cities. The Congress leaders also stated that the state government should pass such a law only after discussion in the Legislature. "Agriculture is a state subject and amending the APMC Act through ordinance would dilute the powers of APMCs. The Centre should not interfere in state subjects and the states should be allowed to handle such subjects," the Opposition said.

The Congress would strongly oppose the proposed ordinance to the APMC Act because it would disturb the existing arrangement as price discovery mainly happens at AMPC markets that have been built over the years.

The state has more than 150 APMCs. Moreover, marketing at APMCs generates revenue to the state exchequer. The party would not support the government on this issue and mobilise farmers against diluting the APMC Act and launch a protest on streets, the Congress leaders warned. 

Karnataka Kisan Congress president Sachin Meega too opposed the proposed an ordinance to the AMPC Act claiming that it would not protest the interest of the farming community in the state.

Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar also opposed the government’s proposal on the suspension of labour laws for two years for the benefit of industrialists and termed it as 'anti-working classes.'

They said such proposals are detrimental to the interest of the labourers. The party stressed that it would oppose the introduction of laws that are against the interest of labourers in industries.