Congress calls for House condolence resolution on deaths of farmers amid stir

On Saturday, Chowdhury wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla conveying his demand for a resolution. “I would sincerely request you that as a mark of respect towards our annadata (farmers), the House may unanimously pass a condolence resolution for the farmers who lost their lives during the farmer agitation. The passing of the resolution in the House will convey our gratitude for the sacrifice that our farmer brethren have given to the nation,” he wrote.

Farmer unions and Opposition leaders say hundreds of cultivators have died during the agitation, which reached Delhi’s borders in November 2020. Farmers from across states were protesting against the three agriculture laws that the government said were necessary to reform the industry.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an address to the nation on November 19, announced that the three farm laws will be repealed as his government was unable to explain their benefits to the farmers.

During the Budget Session of Parliament in February this year, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi had surprised everyone by asking Opposition members to stand up to observe two-minute silence as a tribute to the farmers who died during the agitation.

His move then had not go down well with the Speaker. Three BJP members later moved a breach of privilege notice against Gandhi’s move, saying that asking members to observe silence without the permission of the Chair was contempt of the House.

In a separate letter to the Speaker, Chowdhury on Saturday also urged the Speaker to initiate the process of appointment of Deputy Speaker — a post that has been lying vacant since the constitution of the 17th Lok Sabha in 2019.