Updated: December 1, 2020 5:53:36 am
Delhi police first used trucks filled with sand to stop their tractors at the Singhu border. (Express photo by Praveen Khanna)
Although the confrontation between farmers and the central government continued on the borders of Delhi, several Haryana BJP MPs described the protesters as “annadaata” (grain suppliers), with some saying that they used force on them and insulting them was “wrong” AND “wrong”.
While the 10 BJP members from Haryana’s Lok Sabha widely supported the Center’s three new agricultural laws, some of them said there were some “problems” (problems) with them.
The deputies accused the opposition, especially Congress, of instigating the peasants; however, they accepted that the BJP had “failed” to convince them of the “benefits” of the laws.
Contrary to the assertion by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar that “Haryana farmers were not part of the Delhi Chalo movement,” MPs acknowledged that farmers in the state were involved in the ongoing turmoil. They also recalled that their beautiful victories in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections were due to the support they received from farmers.
Referring to Khattar’s statement that the protesters were Punjab congressional workers and farmers, Bhiwani-Mahendragarh BJP MP Dharambir Singh said: “We must be clear that a farmer is a farmer. He does not belong to any political party. It is wrong to say that [he] he is not our farmer. First comes the farmer, only then comes the political party, because the farmer is our annadaata ”.
Dharambir said he believed the prime minister would “surely” find a solution after the all-party meeting on December 4. “Winter is getting harsher and the coronavirus pandemic is raging. Farmers will suffer and that will cause disruption,” he said.
“I would say that farmers voted for us in large numbers. The 10 deputies won by margins of billions of votes. We win in farmer-dominated areas, so it shouldn’t be said that farmers are supporters of Congress. The farmers are with us and they have full faith in the Prime Minister. “
No politician should speak freely about farmers, Dharambir said. “Kisi bhi neta ne aisi ulti-seedhi baatein nahin karni chahiye, bilkul bhi nahi karni chahiye.
“Bilkul pyaar se… woh hamaare hain, hum unke hain. Ek line le ke chaloge, tabhi baat banegi kyunki pradhan mantri chahte hain ki unki (farmers) aamdani badhe, usi ke raaste mein mujhe lagta hai ki ghalat-fehmiyan toh hui hain kahin na kahin. (We must treat them well, they are our people. Only then will a solution emerge … the Prime Minister wants his income to increase, I think there has been a misunderstanding somewhere) “.
According to Dharambir, there are only two or three questions (“kewal do-teen cheez”) “jahan pe kahin na kahin gadbad hai” (where there is a problem). In addition, he alleged, the administration at the local level was corrupt, so farmers were suffering.
Hisar MP Brijendra Singh, son of former Union Minister Birender Singh, said that “although the farmers protesting are mainly from Punjab, there is no doubt that farmers from Haryana also go (to Delhi).” Although the laws had not been introduced without prior notice, “communication could have been better before the bills were passed,” he said.
“During the last few years, there have been debates (about these policies). Expert reports, commissions, and even the Congressional manifesto had all pointed in the same direction. Today, they (Congress) could try to cover it up … (Punjab’s Chief Minister) Amarinder (Singh) ji had allowed private mandis in 2017; it’s a different matter that was never opened, ”Brijendra said.
Ambala deputy Rattan Lal Kataria said it had been part of farmers’ talks previously with Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Rajnath Singh. “We reiterate that the three agricultural laws are of interest to farmers. The government is always ready to listen… We can convince the farmers, but the political color that has been given to this situation is not correct, ”said Kataria.
According to Kataria, Congress had hatched a “conspiracy” to take advantage of farmers’ agitation for its own rebirth. However, he admitted that the BJP leaders faced intense opposition in Haryana due to agricultural laws. “When we held a tractor rally in support of agricultural laws, I too had to face upheaval for almost three hours near Naraingarh.”
Regarding the sugarcane charges and the use of tear gas and water cannons against farmers, Kataria said: “The farmer is the nation’s annadaata … There was a sector during this pandemic, the farmer and his products, who saved India. Farmers generated even more produce than last year. Only thanks to grain stocks was the government able to distribute rations until November. When the annadaata is doing so much for the nation, who would like to wield him with sticks? But there are certain limitations, public order problems. Every effort is made so that a farmer does not even touch himself, but the mischievous elements make the situation worse.
Some MPs like Sunita Duggal from Sirsa said the protests were “sponsored” by Congress. “They (Congress) are trying to fool our fellow farmers, but they won’t be able to fool them for long … The involvement of Haryana farmers in the upheaval is negligible,” he said.
Krishan Pal Gurjar (Faridabad) said that the new laws were meant to free farmers and double their income. “But our opponents are misleading them… Except for a few farmers who believe in Congress, the rest have not participated in this agitation. Most of the protesters are from Punjab, ”he said.
Nayab Singh Saini (Kurukshetra) said: “These people must not deceive the farmers (Congress). You (farmers) must trust Narendra Modi, who has worked to empower farmers for the past six years. “
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