NEW DELHI: Minister of Agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar Y food minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday he asked the media to explore and find out if there are forces driving the farmers protest against new agricultural laws.
The observation of the two Union ministers who have led the negotiations with the farmers ‘unions to break out of the impasse is significant, as it points to possible external forces driving the farmers’ unrest.
His comment comes a day after the Union minister Raosaheb Danve He claimed that China and Pakistan were behind the ongoing protests by farmers.
Danve’s comments drew strong reactions and several opposition leaders criticized him for insulting farmers.
The protesting farmers have been demanding the repeal of the three new farm laws enacted by the Center and have refused to back down. The government, while ruling out removing the laws, has made it clear to farmers that it is willing to introduce amendments to address all their concerns.
The government sent a draft proposal to the peasants, but they rejected it and announced that they would intensify their protest in the coming days. Farmers have threatened to block all the roads leading to Delhi and also block the train tracks.
When asked if there was any force behind the protests, Tomar said: “The eyes of the media are sharp and we will let us find out.”
“The press has to explore and use their investigative skills to find out,” Goyal said while addressing the media about the draft proposal sent to protesting farmers’ unions.
“We believe that the farmers had certain problems. We respect the farmers, they came and discussed with us. We tried to address the issues that came up during the course of the discussion. If there are other issues that need to be discussed or need clarification the current proposal, we are ready for that. Whether there is some other reason holding them back, we will leave it to your wise advice, “he added.
Both ministers affirmed that the Center has already sent a draft proposal to amend some of the provisions of the two agricultural laws to the leaders of the farmers’ unions who must now decide and give a date for the next round of negotiations.
(With PTI inputs)
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