New Delhi, Sept 19 : The BJP has issued a three-line whip to all its Rajya Sabha members to be present on September 20 when the thee contentious farm bills are slated to be introduced in the Upper House.
The three bills are the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020, Farmers Produce and Trade (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020.

Bitter Opposition in Lok Sabha

The farms bills, which have already been passed by the Lok Sabha, have become a bone of contention between the government and the Opposition.
Apart from the Congress, long-time NDA ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) too has objected to the bills, terming them “anti-farmer”.
SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal has resigned from the Union cabinet over this issue.
The government, however, is aggressively pushing the bills, calling them pro-farmer and labelling those opposing them as “batting for the middlemen”.

Gearing up for Rajya Sabha

The three bills are now set to face opposition in the Rajya Sabha and the BJP government wants full attendance on the treasury benches.
“Farmers are now given new independence in agriculture. Now, they will have more options and opportunities to sell their produce. It was necessary to bring these bills to protect them from middlemen. These are farmers’ shields,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi after inaugurating the Kosi mega bridge on Friday.
BJP national president J.P. Nadda also said that the bills give farmers the freedom to choose whether they wish to sell farm produces in the mandi (farmers’ markets) or any other corner of the country.(IANS)