Farmers Movement Archive

Rahul Gandhi has no clue on how paddy grows: MP CM

HYDERABAD: Slamming Congress for its U-turn on the farm laws, Madhya Pradesh chief minister and BJP central board member Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday took potshots at former All India Congress Committee president Rahul Gandhi saying he does not even know how paddy is grown or if it is cultivated below the soil or above the soil. Addressing a press conference at the BJP state office here, Chouhan said UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi owe an answer to the nation as to why they are opposing the farm laws now. “When the UPA government was in power, it pushed for reforms by means of bringing amendments to the APMC Act. Now, the UPA is opposing the laws,” he said. Taking a serious objection to parties like TRS, AAP and DMK, he said: “No one knows why Arvind Kejriwal reacts. The legislation came into force last month and suddenly he is it opposing now. The DMK promised similar reforms but is now opposing them. The TRS is wary of BJP’s growth here.” Chouhan said the former UPA government had even constituted a committee for initiating agri reforms. “Now, the UPA’s hypocrisy and cheap politics is out in the open. The Congress boat is sinking and is unnecessarily making a hue and cry,” he said. Reading out a letter written by NCP leader Sharad Pawar who was Union agriculture minister in 2011 in the UPA government, he said: “This letter was written to me then. In the letter, Pawar was seeking support to make amendments to the APMC Act and for doing away with the Essential Commodities Act. Pawar said that there was a need for liberalising the process for selling agri produce to help farmers.”

The Times of India

2020-12-08

Hyderabad