Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the passage of agriculture bills in the Lok Sabha on Friday and criticized the opposition for not supporting reforms that he said will prove to be “farmers’ shields” against intermediaries.
Farmers will have more opportunities to sell their products without having to worry about intermediaries and this will result in higher profits, Prime Minister Modi said in a virtual message after inaugurating the Kosi mega railway bridge via video conference.
Read also: Agriculture Bills Passed In Lok Sabha, Farmers Protest: All You Need To Know
“Farmers have been given a new independence in agriculture. Now they will have more options and opportunities to sell their products. I congratulate you on the approval of bills. It was necessary to bring them to protect them from intermediaries. These are the shields of the farmers, ”he said.
In attacking those protesting against the bills, Prime Minister Modi said that many forces were trying to “mislead” farmers on this issue.
“Be wary of the politics of those who ruled the country for decades and did nothing to empower farmers. These people are in favor of the middlemen who unfairly loot farmers’ profits, “said Prime Minister Modi.
His remarks came in the context of protests across the country against the approval of the bills. While MPs in Punjab’s Congress burned copies of the bills inside the Parliament complex on Thursday, farmers in the state said they will stage a statewide ‘rail roko’ agitation from September 24-26.
Read also: Prime Minister Dedicates Kosi Mega Rail Bridge to Nation, Opens Several Rail Projects in Bihar
Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned as minister of the Union for Food Processing Industries in protest against the bills and her Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) party has opposed it, along with Congress, the Trinamool Congress and the Revolutionary Socialist Party .
The Agricultural Products Trade and Trade (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill of 2020 and the Farmers’ Agricultural Price and Services Guarantee Agreement (Empowerment and Protection) of 2020 were passed at the Lok Sabha on Thursday. The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill passed the lower house on September 13.
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