Participate in the debate in the Rajya sabha On the motion of thanks to the president’s speech, Modi renewed his offer of talks and said that the door to the negotiations had not been slammed, but that he maintained the reforms, saying that they were the need of the moment and that they could not be postponed any longer . “It is indisputable that this is the right time to make agriculture profitable and we must not waste this opportunity. We need to move forward, we cannot allow the country to slide and we must give the reforms a chance to see if they are beneficial or not,” he said.
Modi also tried to allay concerns that the reforms could spell the demise of MSP and mandis or APMC. “MSP was there, MSP is here and MSP will remain in the future,” said the prime minister. He noted the provision in the Budget for APMC and emphasized that the subsidized food scheme, administered with food grains purchased by paying MSP to farmers, would continue.
In what appeared to be a response to farmers’ demand to sign the MSP into law, the prime minister said promises made on the floor of Parliament it needed to be treated as a solemn commitment. “Please keep in mind the sanctity of this floor. We have been assigned special responsibilities,” he said, adding that he was open to changing the laws if they need to be improved and he recognized the right of farmers to protest.
He said the current regime excluded Rs 12 crore small and marginal farmers with 1-2 acre properties and representing 86% of the agricultural population, and highlighted the role of dairy farmers who did not have the protection of the MSP. .
The overture to the farmers came with a mockery of Congress for reversing his stance to oppose the same measures that had now been implemented and an attack on what he called professional protesters and the influence of destructive ideology coming from abroad; the “FDI” or “foreign destructive ideology”, as he put it.
“The reforms have been deliberate for two decades. The discussion did not begin after we took office and everyone has felt that the time has come to implement them. It is true that we can differ on the details and no one can claim that the laws will be good for all the time. Life is dynamic, but I’m baffled by the U-turn, “Modi said, citing the former prime minister. Manmohan singhAdvocating for farmers to have access to markets to prove their claim.
“We all know the buddhijivis (intellectuals) and (shramjivis), but now a new category of andolanjivis has emerged who feed off the protests. They launch into all kinds of protests, be they from lawyers, students or workers. he can see, while in others they remain in the background. They are like parasites that feed on protests, “said Modi in what was seen as a comment directed at some civil society activists.
The attack came in the context of what the prime minister called an effort to incite Sikh farmers.
On the “foreign destructive ideology”, he said that the country should be aware of the “destructive ideology” that comes from abroad.
The left was also attacked, and the prime minister recalled that they had even opposed the Green Revolution by warning of the threat of US takeover.
With farmers hot on his heels on the capital’s borders, it was only natural that the prime minister devoted a large part of his more than an hour-long speech to protests. It was a signature performance, with Modi invoking his public speaking skills and weaving his blunt claims with wit and sarcasm to reach out to farmers, especially from Punjab and supporters of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh.
Punjab received a special mention, and Modi highlighted the trauma the border state suffered, both at the time of Partition and during the tumultuous days that led to Operation Blue Star and the massacre of Sikhs in Delhi and elsewhere. He spoke about the effort to destabilize Punjab by provoking Sikhs. “This country is proud of the Sikhs who have made gigantic contributions to the country. No honor for them can do justice to their role and the great traditions of Sikh gurus,” he said.
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