Tomar, in an eight-page open letter to farmers, said the Modi government is committed to the well-being of farmers and highlighted that the new agricultural laws They aim to benefit small and marginal farmers.
“The Minister of Agriculture, Narendra Singh Tomar, has written a letter to the farmer brothers and sisters and expressed his feelings, has made an effort to engage in humble dialogue. I ask all ‘annadaatas’ (farmers), to read it I also ask all the people of the country to make sure this letter reaches more and more people, “Modi tweeted in Hindi.
In his letter, Tomar, accusing Congress and other opposition parties of spreading falsehoods about the new farm laws, also called on farmer agitators not to fall victim to these “white lies” and said the Center is willing to address all your concerns.
कृषि मंत्री @nstomar जी ने किसान भाई-बहनों को पत्र लिखकर अपनी भावनाएं प्रकट की हैं, एक विनम्र संवाद करने का प्रयास… https://t.co/dE3YPmZ66F
– Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 1608215148000
Tomar, who is leading the negotiation with some 40 farmers’ unions together with the Minister of Food Piyush Goyal and the Minister of State for Commerce Som Parkash, stated that there are no provisions in these laws to take control of farmers’ lands by companies.
Thousands of farmers, especially from Punjab and Haryana, have been protesting at the Delhi borders against the Agricultural Price and Service Guarantee (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement for Farmers, 2020; the Trade in Agricultural Products and Trade (Promotion and Facilitation) Act of 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020.
At least five rounds of formal talks have been held between the three union ministers and 40 farmers’ unions to break the deadlock.
The unions, however, demand a total rollback of the central laws. Last week, the Center had sent a proposal to these unions, stating that it would give them a written guarantee that the minimum support price (MSP) system will be maintained and will also address their other key concerns.
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