Even as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been coordinating with opposition leaders to hold a joint rally by anti-BJP leaders in Kolkata, on Thursday the CPM worked behind the scenes to get 11 parties, including the NCP, DMK and Congress, issue a joint statement against the BJP government on farm laws.
The joint statement came on a day when the high command of Congress gave his Bengal unit the go-ahead to sign a seat-sharing agreement with the left-wing parties for the next Assembly elections in Bengal.
So far, Banerjee has contacted the head of the CPN, Sharad Pawar, and plans to invite regional leaders such as Arvind Kejriwal of AAP and MK Stalin of DMK to the Kolkata rally. His attempt to rally opposition leaders before the elections, to indicate that he is leading the battle against the BJP, worries the Left Congress, which is trying to turn the battle into a triangular fight.
The joint statement issued on Thursday, signed by Rahul Gandhi from Congress, Pawar, TR Baalu from DMK, J&K PAGD Chairman Farooq Abdullah, SP Head Akhilesh Yadav, RJD Tejashwi Yadav, CPM Secretary General Sitaram Yechury , CPI General Secretary D Raja, CPI (ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, Forward Bloc Debabrata Biswas and RSP Manoj Bhattacharya criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for accusing opposition parties of lying to farmers about the new agricultural laws.
These are the same 11 parties that had previously issued a statement supporting Bharat Bandh called by the farmers’ unions on December 8. As in the past, the AAP was not a signatory to Thursday’s statement.
“The Prime Minister’s accusations are a complete parody of the truth… Many of us had opposed these Farm Laws when they were being enacted in Parliament without proper discussion or consideration. Parliamentarians who sought a vote were suspended, ”the statement said.
“Among the many unfounded accusations that have been made, one of them is that those who spoke of agrarian reforms in the electoral manifestos before but are now opposed. Yes, we are in favor of reforms, but what kind of reforms? Opposition parties seek reforms to strengthen Indian agriculture; improve the prosperity of our farmers; and ensure continued food security for our people and the country. Current farm laws undermine these same goals, ”the statement said.
Criticizing the government for accusing the opposition of spreading lies about the MSP, the statement read: “The Prime Minister claims to implement the Swaminathan Commission Report in this regard. This Report recommended an MSP of C2 + 50%, while this government, in the best of cases, implements A2 + 50%. In fact, this government told the Supreme Court its inability to implement C2 + 50% MSP. Who spreads falsehoods? … “
Hailing the “unity, courage and determination” displayed by “thousands of farmers from Delhi’s neighboring states amid a severe cold snap in a peaceful manner,” the statement called for the repeal of the new laws, along with the Electricity (Amendment ) Bill 2020. “Next, the central government must hold discussions on agrarian reforms with farmers and all interested parties. On the basis of these consultations, Parliament can consider new laws, if necessary, by convening a special or joint session, ”they said.
On the other hand, the leader of Congress, Rahul Gandhi, led a delegation of the party to President Ram Nath Kovind, seeking his intervention to repeal the three agricultural laws. A memorandum submitted by the party said that an “autocratic Modi government” refused to listen to the “agony and anguish” of farmers.
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