Sharad Pawar, head of the PCN | Photo credit: ANI
New Delhi: Former union agriculture minister and head of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Sharad Pawar, has reacted to claims that he had sought changes to the Agricultural Products Marketing Committee (APMC) Law and had proposed to allow the entry of the private sector in the field.
Pawar admitted today that he had called for reforms to the APMC Act, but denied having been in favor of eliminating the law. The Maharashtra leader criticized the central government, saying the claims made about him are just a ploy to divert attention from the national agitation by farmers against the recently enacted farm laws.
“I said that APMC needs some reforms. The APMC Law should continue but with reforms. There is no doubt that I had written the letter. But his three Acts don’t even mention APMC. They are just trying to divert attention. There is no need to give it importance, ”the head of the NCP told the media on Tuesday.
Pawar also reported that he, along with the leaders of some other opposition parties, will meet with the president tomorrow to inform him of his position on the agricultural laws.
“Tomorrow, 5-6 people from different political parties will sit down, discuss and take a collective position. Tomorrow we have an appointment at 5 pm with the president. We will present our collective stand to him ”, informed the supreme of the PNC.
Earlier, central government sources had noted that, as the union agriculture minister, Pawar had written to several senior ministers, including Shivraj Singh Chouhan and the late Sheila Dikshit, calling for the amendment of the APMC Act in their states to allow it the private sector play an important role in the field.
The sources shared the content of those letters and maintained that the current BJP-led NDA government in the Center has introduced the same set of changes to the APMC Act, which Pawar and other opposition leaders now oppose.
Amid the controversy, Madhya Pradesh Prime Minister Chouhan yesterday accused Pawar of adopting double standards on new farm laws. Chouhan confirmed that Pawar had written to him in 2011 seeking changes in the law.
Chouhan, in a press conference in Hyderabad, revealed some contents of the letter written by Pawar: “It is necessary to amend the APMC Law along the lines of the model of the APMC Law to encourage private sector investment in marketing, infrastructure and provide channels Alternative Competitive Marketing in the General Interest of Farmers, Consumers and Agricultural Trade.
Pawar has now said that the Center passed the farm laws in a hurry in parliament, warning that if no efforts are made to resolve the deadlock soon, more farmers across the country will join the protests.
Meanwhile, the NCP has alleged that the ruling BJP has been circulating Pawar’s letters at random to “confuse” people.
