He also assured farmers that he would continue to purchase their products under the minimum support price (MSP) regime.
“Yesterday was a historic day for the country in terms of agrarian reforms. The agricultural reform bills have been passed, which has freed our farmers from many restrictions, ”Modi said while addressing a virtual meeting after launching rail projects for the ballot box. Bihar. “The middlemen used to take a significant part of the farmers’ profits. The bill will prove to be a protective cover for farmers, “he added.
His comments came after he submitted the resignation of Akali Dal’s Harsimrat Kaur Badal as food processing minister and amid an effort by Congress to intensify its opposition to the troika of bills aimed at reforming trade in agricultural products.
Congress called the protests against the bills a “Mahabharata” for farmers and dubbed the Modi government the “Kauravas.” He also sought to recruit allies by appealing to the BJP coalition partners in Bihar and Haryana, JD (U) and JJP respectively, as well as the regional YSRCP, TRS and AIADMK formations.
“This is Mahabharat in which BJP is in the role of Kauravas who are anti-farmers and in front of them are Pandavas in the form of farmers and agricultural workers. The congress is with the Pandavas. Now, all the BJP allies in power will have to decide whether to support the farmers or Kauravas, ”said party spokesman RS Surjewala.
Punjab CM Amarinder Singh He said the legislation would lead to growing distress among people in the border state, “thus giving Pakistan the opportunity to fan more fires.” He added that Delhi must rethink its “anti-farmer” movement as it would undo the sacrifices made by Punjab and its farmers over the past 65 years to make India self-sufficient in food.
Harsimrat Badal he justified his departure and claimed that BJP had ignored SAD’s demand to probe allies on farm laws. “I have continued to protest since these ordinances were circulated for cabinet comment. I acted as a bridge between the farmers and the government to clear all the doubts and fears of the farmers. I kept pleading that the government not introduce these bills until all the apprehensions and fears of the farmers were cleared up, ”he said.
“I am very saddened by the fact that my voice was not heard in the cabinet and the government did not send it to a select parliamentary committee for consultation with all stakeholders, including farmers. If my voice had been heard, the farmers would not have taken to the roads to protest, ”he added.
The day also witnessed the head of BSP Mayawati opposing the bills as “anti-farmer”. “Two bills related to farmers were approved yesterday by Parliament without clearing up their doubts. BSP does not approve of this. What does the farmer want from the country? It would be better if the central government paid attention to this, ”he tweeted.
Modi and BJP, however, remained unfazed, and the prime minister recalled the support of Congress for the same measures that his government has taken and accused him of opportunism. “There are parties, which ruled the country for decades, that are trying to divert farmers. These parties had made electoral promises, these reforms were part of their manifesto but when the NDA has done it, they are opposing it, ”said the PM in reference to Congress.
Modi asked farmers to beware of the lies that are spread on behalf of the middlemen.
The BJP received help from its Haryana ally, the JJP, who, defying widespread expectation, refused to join the Akalis in opposing the three pieces of legislation. The party’s position, announced by its leader Ajay Chautala, is significant because Haryana’s group, like the Akalis, derive their political sustenance from farmers.
Other BJP leaders, including party chief JP Nadda and the interior minister Amit shah, remained on the offensive, defending legislation and attacking Congress.
Protests against the bills, which together seek to liberalize agricultural trade by ending the monopoly of the “mandis” and curbing the role of the “arhatiyas” (middlemen), have so far been limited to supply areas from Punjab, Haryana and parts of western UP. They are unlikely to spread everywhere due to the small number of farmers who can produce marketable surpluses.
However, aggressive protests in the capital’s neighborhood would be a poor outlook for the government, especially at a time when it is grappling with the triple challenges of Covid-19, China’s border aggression, and a contracting economy.
The government appears to be mindful of risk and has moved aggressively to refute the suggestion that the reforms will mark the end of the minimum support price (MSP) regime. However, he is determined to stick to the course and aggressively take on challengers.
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