Akali Dal leader and MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal spoke to NDTV today
New Delhi:
Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who resigned from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet on Thursday in protest of farm laws, told NDTV on Friday that farmers were concerned about being kicked out of the agricultural sector by private actors.
Ms Badal said that a “rustic farmer”, one of many she had consulted with in recent weeks, offered Reliance Jio’s aggressive market strategy as an example to emphasize her point.
“A country farmer gave us an example … ‘Jio came in, they gave free phones. When everyone bought those phones and became dependent on these phones, the competition was eliminated and Jio raised their rates. This is exactly what the corporations asked him they are going to do, ”said Ms. Badal.
Ms Badal told NDTV that she had repeatedly asked the Narendra Modi government to listen to the concerns raised by farmers and hold open discussions with them before introducing the three bills that were approved by the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
“I have been saying, please do not bring a law that is perceived as anti-farmer. How can you bring something without taking into account the perception of the people? I tried to convince them but my words were not enough. Maybe my voice it wasn’t strong enough, “he said.
The bills, which will now be accepted by Rajya Sabha, will replace three ordinances issued in June, but have sparked fierce protests from farmers, particularly those in Congress-ruled Punjab.
The government has said the proposed laws are intended to help small and marginal farmers.
However, farmers fear that they will no longer be paid at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and opposition parties have claimed that the agricultural sector will be left to the fate of corporate interests.
Prime Minister Modi said on Friday there was a “disinformation campaign” about the farm laws.
Ms. Badal pointed out these apprehensions, saying that farmers feel they will be “at the mercy of these private actors.” “This is the apprehension they have. The center should talk to them to clear this fear,” he said.
Ms. Badal also said that she was ultimately left with no other option and that she gave up showing solidarity with the farmers.
However, he refused to describe the policies as “anti-farmer”. “If Prime Minister Modi’s policies were against farmers, Akali Dal would not have been in government for the past six years,” he said.
The Akali Dal, who is a founding member of the BJP-led NDA that is in power in the center, has come under attack by the Punjab Congress for continuing to support a government that promotes “anti-farmer” policies.
Punjab’s Chief Minister Amarinder Singh yesterday dismissed Ms Badal’s resignation as a trick and criticized the party for remaining part of the NDA (National Democratic Alliance).
“Congress is synonymous with corruption and Amarinder Singh is synonymous with dhokha (fraud). He was part of three meetings, where he agreed with the bills, “Mrs. Badal replied today, noting that Congress, in its 2019 Lok Sabha electoral manifesto, had promised to do what the agricultural bills intend to do. .
Today, Prime Minister Modi criticized what he said was a “disinformation” campaign against the bills and claimed that farmers would continue to get an MSP.
“Fake news is spreading that government agencies will not get wheat, rice, etc. from farmers. This is an outright lie, completely wrong and an attempt to mislead farmers,” he said forcefully.
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