Updated: December 16, 2020 7:47:17 am
“The MSP is being implemented through a government administrative decision. It was in effect in the past, is in the present and will continue in the future. We have made it clear that no one should have doubts about the MSP,” says Tomar.
Framing farm laws as an economic and political imperative, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Tuesday that the government would invite protesting farmers to talk the day they reversed their response to the concessions offered.
In an interview for The Indian Express, Tomar linked the laws to the “303-seat mandate,” which he said had been given to the government not only to stay in power but to effect change.
He cited demonetization and the GST as reforms promoted in the first term to which there was opposition but which, according to Tomar, were transformative and were rewarded with a stronger majority in 2019.
Narendra Modiji ne pehle karyakaal mein bhi bahut reform kiye… Logon ne kaha notebandi hai ab ulti ginti shuru, GST hai toh ulti ginti shuru… Doosre karyakaal mein, Narendra Modiji ko 287 ke sthaan par 303 seat dekar jitaya. Iske maine yeh hai ki Narendra Modiji se desh yeh chahta hai ki jo sudhaar rajneetik swarth ke chalte, dav-prabhav ke chalte, jo badlav desh mein aaj tak nahi aa paya vote bank ki rajneeti ke kaaran, us sey upar Modi kakar Narendra, he said.
(In the first term Modi also carried out many reforms and there were people who after demonetization and GST said that the countdown for their government had started. But in the second term, the people voted for Modi and gave him 303 seats against 287 seats in 2014. This means that people want Modi to undertake reforms that have long been ignored due to political pressure, vested interests and vote bank considerations ”).
When asked about the next steps to defuse the ongoing standoff with farmers, Tomar said informal talks were taking place with some agricultural leaders and that he was awaiting a response from them on the government proposal sent on December 9.
Farmers protest against the new Farm Bill on the Singhu, New Delhi border on Monday, December 14, 2020. Express photo by Abhinav Saha
“I am ready to send you an invitation once you review the changes proposed by the government,” he said. Tomar was clear that the government will not repeal the farm laws, but said he hoped for an early resolution in the coming days.
“We are willing to review the provisions of the laws that farmers feel is not in their best interest … But they do not want to discuss the laws clause by clause … During the discussions, I realized that they had other concerns related to the burning of stubble and the Electricity Law, which we are also willing to discuss, ”he said.
When asked why the government did not give in to Parliament when some of these same changes were sought by members of the opposition, or referred to a select committee, Tomar said: “These are small acts, which have been discussed and debated. during years. Only complex legislation is sent to a select committee or a standing committee. Also under the UPA regime, the then Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture were ready to undertake these reforms. There was a broad consensus among all political parties and states, who discussed this with farmers and other interested parties ”.
During the day, Tomar held talks with BJP Kisan Morcha National Chairman Rajkumar Chahar about the ongoing protests. Later in the evening, members of the Bharatiya Kisan (Kisan) Union from Uttar Pradesh met him at Krishi Bhavan and welcomed the new agricultural laws, saying they would be beneficial to farmers. They also presented a memorandum to the Minister of Agriculture with suggestions on agricultural laws and the minimum support price (MSP).
In another event, a delegation of BJP deputies from Haryana met with Jal Shakti’s minister, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. The delegation submitted a memorandum demanding the early completion of the Satluj Yamuna Link canal so that Haryana can get its share of the water from Punjab.
Dharambir Singh, BJP MP from Bhiwani-Mahendragarh, who was part of the delegation, told The Indian Express: “We submitted a six-point letter that included demands such as early construction of dams on the Yamuna River and completion of SYL. .
This is the second time in the past two days that the Haryana BJP leaders have raised the SYL issue with Union ministers. On Monday, a delegation of deputies from the state’s BJP and MLA had raised the same demand during a meeting with the Union’s agriculture minister.
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