Sonia Gandhi advises Congress CMs to negate Centre's farm laws using Article 254 (2)

Congress president Sonia Gandhi advised heads of Congress-ruled states to explore options available to them to bypass Centre's new farm laws. This comes at a time when farmers in different parts of the country are staging an agitation against the laws they claim are 'anti-farmer'. According to inputs, Sonia Gandhi has advised Congress chief ministers to pass laws in their respective states under Article 254 (2) of the Constitution of India. This would allow them to negate the three farm laws which were passed by both houses of Parliament and gained the assent of President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday. Article 254(2) refers to a scenario where a law made by a state legislature concerning any matter that falls in the Concurrent List contains any provision repugnant to the provisions of an earlier law made by Parliament or an existing law, with respect to that matter. In such a case, the law made by the state legislature will prevail, provided it is reserved for the consideration of the President of India and receives his assent.