Kerala Governor says agricultural laws will benefit corporate houses

Cochin, January 8, 2021: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan in his address at the beginning of the budget session of the Assembly on Friday condemned the disputed agricultural laws passed by the Center and said that this would reduce the importance of controlled markets and benefit corporate houses.

During the policy address of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, Khan also read out the criticisms of central government policies and investigative agencies. The governor also targeted the central agencies investigating various allegations against the state government’s schemes and said that they had crossed the limits set in the constitution.

Khan does not usually express his open support for the Center, but in his speech, citing state government policies, he said that in such a situation, cooperative federalism would lose its intent and remain just a name.

Khan had earlier rejected the Left government’s demand to convene a House meeting on December 23 to discuss agricultural laws. Significantly, the Kerala Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution on 31 December against the agricultural laws of the Center and demanded their withdrawal with immediate effect.