With the head of the NCP, Sharad Pawar, backing the farmers’ protest against the controversial agricultural reforms, government sources noted on Sunday that, as minister of agriculture in the dispensation of the UPA, he had asked the senior ministers to amend the APMC Act. in their states to allow the private sector to play. an important role in the field.
Sharing the content of some letters he had written to various senior ministers, sources claimed that the BJP-led NDA government has made the same set of changes to the Agricultural Products Marketing Committee (APMC) Act that Pawar pushed for. when it was the union minister.
Pawar is scheduled to meet with President Ram Nath Kovind on December 9 for the ongoing farmers’ protest against the new land laws after the PNC joined other opposition parties to support the ‘Bharat Bandh’ convened on 8 December. December by the farmers’ unions, who have demanded the repeal. of the new agricultural marketing laws of the Center.
Government sources told Pawar in a 2010 letter to Delhi’s then-Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit that the agricultural sector needs well-functioning markets to drive growth, jobs and economic prosperity in the country’s rural area.
“This requires large investments in marketing infrastructure, including the cold chain. And for this, the participation of the private sector is essential, for which there must be an adequate regulatory and regulatory environment, “said his letter, in which he asked to amend the state APMC Law.
In a similar letter to then-Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Pawar had underscored the need for investments in post-harvest infrastructure and marketing from farm gate to consumer, saying that “the private sector must play a role. important role in In this regard “.
Pawar was the trade union minister for agriculture, consumer affairs, food and public distribution in the then government led by Manmohan Singh.
Earlier on Sunday, Pawar called on the Center to take the ongoing farmers’ protest seriously, saying that if the stalemate continues, the upheaval will not be confined to Delhi and that people across the country will support protesting farmers.
The ruling BJP has accused the opposition of playing politics in this regard and pointed out that the manifesto of the main opposition party, Congress, had also advocated for some of the reforms that the Modi government has introduced.
Prominent opposition leaders, including Congress President Sonia Gandhi, PNC leader Sharad Pawar, CPI (M) Secretary General Sitaram Yechury, DMK head MK Stalin, and PAGD President Farooq Abdullah , issued a joint statement on Sunday supporting the call for Bharat Bandh on December 8 by farmer groups. and pressured the Center to meet the legitimate demands of the protesters.
The protesting farmers’ unions have demanded the repeal of the three laws that Parliament passed in the last session.
The government has been holding talks with union leaders and the next round of dialogue is scheduled for December 9.
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