Besides Congress, the 15 other parties are NCP, Shiv Sena, AITC, DMK, JKNC, SP, RJD, CPI(M), CPI, IUML, RSP, PDP, MDMK, Kerala Congress and AIUDF.
16 opposition parties will be boycotting the President’s address to the joint sitting of Parliament at the start of the Budget session, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad announced on Thursday.
“We are issuing a statement from 16 political parties that we are boycotting President’s Address that will be delivered at Parliament tomorrow. The major reason behind this decision is that the Bills (Farm Laws) were passed forcibly in House, without Opposition,” Mr Azad said.
Besides Congress, the 15 other parties are NCP, Shiv Sena, AITC, DMK, JKNC, SP, RJD, CPI(M), CPI, IUML, RSP, PDP, MDMK, Kerala Congress and AIUDF.
The address by the President to both houses of Parliament marks the beginning of the Budget Session.
The opposition parties, in a joint statement, said they have decided to stay away from the President’s address in both the Houses of the Parliament while reiterating the common demand for the repeal of the farm laws and in solidarity with the agitating farmers.
The farm laws were brought ‘without any consultations with states and farmer unions and lacked national consensus’, the statement by opposition read, adding that the parliamentary scrutiny was bypassed and the laws were pushed through muzzling the Opposition.
“The farm laws are an assault on the rights of the states and violate the federal spirit of the constitution. If not repealed, these laws will dismantle the edifice of National Food Security that rests upon MSP, government procurement and PDS,” the statement said, accusing the Prime Minister and the BJP of being arrogant, adamant and undemocratic in their response.
“Shocked by this insensitivity, we, the following Opposition parties, reaffirming the collective demand for the repeal of agri-laws and in solidarity with Indian farmers have decided to boycott the President’s address in both houses of the Parliament on January 29,” the statement said.
Other than these parties, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also announced that its members in the House will boycott the President’s address. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has also announced that it will boycott the President’s address over farm laws.
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