Agriculture bills to be taken up by Rajya Sabha today

The Rajya Sabha on Saturday will take up the two contentious agriculture reform bills whose passage in the Lok Sabha on Thursday night led to fireworks in the house, with fault lines showing up within the NDA as well.

While opposition MPs staged a walkout, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the lone Akali Dal leader in PM Modi's cabinet stepped down in protest of the bills.

In a series of tweets, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the opposition of trying to mislead farmers, while the Congress said the bills are a govt conspiracy to 'undo' the Green Revolution.

Opposition parties TMC and RSP have also opposed the two bills, along with BJP ally Shiromani Akali Dal who have called it 'anti-farmer'.