Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Tuesday refused permission to convene a special Assembly session on December 23 to discuss the three farm laws that had provoked a massive farmer agitation in New Delhi.
Top sources said the Governor had rejected the State Government's recommendation saying there was no urgency for convening a special session. Additional clarification provided by the government has also been rejected by the Governor.
The Governor had asked the Government to provide valid reasons, if any, for convening a special session. The Governor's move, according to government sources, was unexpected.
The Governor also advised the state government to take up the issue when the session begins on January 8.
Though initially there were moves to meet the Governor, the Chief Minister decided against it.
The LDF has decided to fight it out politically.
''Never before has a Governor rejected such a recommendation by a state government. This is a serious issue,'' agriculture minister V S Sunil Kumar said.
He said that Punjab and Delhi government's had convened such a special session to protest against the Farm laws.
The opposition UDF, too, has criticised the Governor's decision to refuse consent for the special session.
Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan has already shot off a letter to the Governor, giving a detailed explanation on the need for a special session.
The Cabinet meeting held on December 21 had decided to seek the Governor's permission to convene the special session. The objective was to discuss the three farm laws - Farmer (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act - and pass a unanimous resolution in the Assembly seeking the repeal of the three laws. Both the LDF and the UDF consider the laws anti-farmer and are framed to protect the interests of corporates. They are also of the opinion that the laws were bulldozed through in the Parliament without any discussions.
The Kerala Government is also planning to move the Supreme Court against the laws as they encroach upon the right of the states. The government has also constituted a committee to study the possibility of framing legislation against the farm laws.
