The new farm bills and the widening of the rift between Centre and states

Ties between the Union and the states, which were already strained over GST compensation and proposed amendments to MMDRA, could become much worse with the advent of these farm bills

A few days back, amid the turmoil over the controversial farm bills, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sprung a surprise when she toned down her stringent opposition to another pet project of the Modi government, the PM-KISAN scheme. Banerjee agreed to implement the programme, but only if the funds were routed through the state and not directly transferred from the Centre.

Though the Central government turned down the request immediately on the grounds that the scheme’s guidelines do not permit such a mechanism, Banerjee's offer does reflect a significant change in stance and is a growing example of the