Updated: December 12, 2020 7:36:27 am
A group of farmers at the site of the protest on the Singhu border in New Delhi on Friday. (Express photo by Abhinav Saha)
Two days after the farmers’ unions rejected concessions offered by the Center on the new agricultural lawsThe Union Minister of Law and Justice, Ravi Shankar Prasad, appealed to farmers on Friday to continue talks with the government.
“After all, in discussions, if they had a point that we thought we should address, we addressed it. On the legal points about the dispute resolution mechanism and the registration of merchants in the Law, we agreed, ”said Prasad. The Indian Express.
“Our hope is that more and more persuasion will make (farmers) realize that there is light at the end of the tunnel and ultimately it is in their interest,” he said.
While he did not specify the modalities of how and when the government will act on the proposal made to protesting farmers on the Delhi borders, Prasad stressed that the government’s collective commitment is to “listen to farmers and address their concerns.”
Read | ‘Ultimately, democracy is about persuasion, dialogue, rapprochement’: Ravi Shankar Prasad
“But we are equally interested that what we have adopted is the right path for their future. Mainly, that they must be freed from the claws of the mandis and given new opportunities, “he said.
“Almost 80 percent of the farmers are small and marginal farmers. Shouldn’t they be allowed the benefits of technology? Shouldn’t they be allowed the benefits of the new opportunity? Shouldn’t they have the discretion to interact with the buyer of your product? This is the fundamental issue, ”he said.
When asked about the way forward if farmers continue to reject government concessions and push to repeal the laws, Prasad said that “democracy is ultimately about dialogue, persuasion and rapprochement. And that will be the only way out. “
“The Prime Minister put it very well yesterday in a different context: kuchh kahiye, kuchh suniye. This kahiye suniye (discussion) is going on for the past 20 years. “
Referring to the protests in Delhi, he said that no one should be allowed to resolve personal political battles through farmers.
“I am just understanding that those who have a different agenda and are faced with the legal consequences of their separate agenda on issues including the sovereignty and integrity of India are seeking to penetrate there,” he said.
Let them fight their own battle. The legal process continues. The farmers’ problem is more important. We have all our sympathy for the farmers, ”he said.
Stating that there were consultations before the legislation of the three farm laws, Prasad said: “I can safely say that there has been almost a bipartisan consensus over the last 20 years on basically three things: liberalizing the Farm Products Marketing Committee Law ; open trade to farmers; give farmers options and attract private investment. “
He also referred to the statements made in 2011 by the then Union Minister of Agriculture, Sharad Pawar, on the amendment of the APMC Law.
“I can tell you that the Planning Commission recommended in 2011 that it is necessary to modify the APMC Law. As chairman of the Commission, then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was also behind the reforms, ”he said.
On the states’ argument that the new farm laws dilute their powers to legislate on agriculture, which is a state issue under the Constitution, Prasad said the laws are based on “a solid constitutional foundation.”
“We have legislated under Entry 33 of the Concurrent List under the Constitution which is commerce. We have examined this issue, ”he said.
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