Sonia Gandhi urges Congress-ruled states to pass laws to negate central farm acts

New Delhi, Sep 28: Congress president Sonia Gandhi appealed to all Congress-ruled state governments to explore possibilities of bypassing the centre's farm laws, which have provoked massive farmer protests in parts of the country.

Congress-ruled Punjab is the epicenter of protests against the three controversial laws and its Chief Minister Amarinder Singh held a sit-in today, joining the cause of the farmers.

"Congress president has advised Congress ruled states to explore the possibilities to pass laws in their respective states under Article 254(2) of the Constitution which allows the state legislatures to pass a law to negate the anti-agriculture central laws encroaching upon state's jurisdiction under the Constitution," Congress general secretary in-charge of organisation KC Venugopal said in a statement.

"This would enable the states to bypass the unacceptable anti-farmers' provisions in the three draconian Agricultural laws including the abolition of MSP and disruption of APMCs in Congress-ruled states," he added.

The opposition party is citing the BJP government's move in 2015 when it asked party-ruled states to bring their own laws to override the land acquisition act of 2013 passed during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) tenure for boosting infrastructure development.

In line with the concerted opposition to these anti-farmers'' legislations the party will observe ''Kisan-Mazdoor Bachao Divas'' on October 2 by holding dharnas and marches at every assembly and district headquarters across the country, the Congress said.

The Congress is up in arms against the farm legislations and said it will oppose it on the ground.

The party also said it will challenge the new laws in court.