NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday he renewed his attack on opposition parties for “diverting” those who agitated against new agricultural laws, single out Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee for “denying” PM-Kisan profit to farmers of 70 lakh and accuse the Left Front of spreading discontent in Punjab without posing genuine problems affecting farmers.
Addressing farmers for the second time in a week, Modi said the Center was ready to speak to unions on all issues, but said political interests were taking the stir in a different direction. Insertion of demands for the release of people accused of serious crimes and of making the toll gates free did not match the arrests for the continuation of Minimum support price (MSP) said.
“There could be flaws in our policies, which should be noted. We have a democracy and we cannot claim that God has made us perfect. But there should be conversations. We are ready … to keep options open to break out of the stalemate, ”said the prime minister.
“I can understand that there could have been doubts about MSP … but where did the call to free people in prison come from?” The prime minister wondered.
He said that Mamata Banerjee was responsible for denying West Bengal farmers the benefits of PM-Kisan. Without naming the left, he said that the parties responsible for the “ruin” of the state in the first place had nothing to say about it. “There are no mandis in Kerala and the APMC Law is also not effective in the state and the parties that rule the state are talking about them in Punjab,” Modi said.
He stressed that the new farm laws did not mean closing mandis and dismantling APMC. He reminded the virtual audience that several months have passed since the laws came into force (as ordinances first) and no closure report has been received from any mandi. He said the laws will increase options for farmers and that the contract farm rules were in their favor. “If the price of a crop goes up, the buyer will have to pay a better rate,” he said, noting that there is no provision for loss of land.
Seeking to counter accusations that the government has acted in an “anti-farmer” manner, he said that Rs 18,000 crore were credited to the accounts of more than nine crore of farmers in the country and this was done using technology that eliminates cuts and leaks. He again accused opposition parties that support agricultural unrest of speaking lip service to the cause, saying they did not comply with the recommendations of the commissions that proposed measures to increase farm income.
The Prime Minister referred to the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee recalling the words of Rajiv gandhi on leakage in the central bottoms, saying “jab rupaiya chalta hai, to ghista hai (when the rupee travels, it wears out)”.
She said mere political considerations prevented West Bengal farmers from accessing the funds. “You can imagine … several lakh farmers have applied online, but the state government is also getting cold with their applications.”
“I am perplexed and share in acute pain with the people of the country that the party that ruled West Bengal for over 30 years … if you listen to Mamata ji’s speeches from 15 years ago, you will realize how this political ideology had ruined the state, ”said the prime minister.
“Are the people of the country not aware of this game? Why are the opposition parties silent on this issue? Modi questioned.
While defending the new laws, Modi said the turmoil was delayed for acquisitions to overcome as it would have been difficult to convince people that the MSP was being phased out when record payments were made.
There are several parties that have made statements in favor of agricultural reforms, but their language has now changed and they are trying to divert farmers, the prime minister said. He said that there are parties that do not believe in democracy, that made unusual accusations and the language they used. “Despite all this, we are ready to hold talks even with those who are bent on opposing us, but talks must be based on facts,” said the prime minister.
The Prime Minister, in concluding, urged farmers not to make mistakes and not to accept the lies that are being spread.
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