Farmers Movement Archive

Himachal Pradesh minister lashes out at Congress for opposing farm laws

SHIMLA: Urban development and cooperation minister Suresh Bhardwaj has lashed out at the Congress for misleading farmers on farm laws. He said the farm laws would revolutionise the agriculture sector in the coming times. He said Congress is acting as a lobbyist for anti-farmer forces. “Congress is misleading the farmers. It is playing in the hands of a handful of people who had earlier been exploiting the agrarian community,” Bhardwaj added. Bhardwaj said Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central government had been working towards doubling farmers’ income and also initiated several schemes and programmes. “After realizing the needs of these laws to make agriculture-related schemes and policies a success, the government took the call. But the Congress could not digest it. It seems the Congress does not want farmers to come out of the shackles of a fragmented system,” he added. The minister said Congress and others joining them to oppose these laws are not the well-wishers of farmers, but acting at the behest of middlemen. He said newly implemented acts are not going to harm the farmers, but will rather give them the freedom to market their produce. He said that Congress party is shedding crocodile tears and claiming that the new laws will hit APMCs. The same Congress during the UPA rule had been advocating abolishing of APMCs and even promised the same during 2019 general polls. The minister said APMCs and marketing board would continue to function as usual. The state government provides grant in aid to them and would continue to do so. “These bills are not about MSP and there will be no change in government procurement under MSP. It allows the development of private mandi infrastructure in the state and ensures seamless market access to farmers,” he said. He said the laws would give price assurance of farm produce to the farmers at the time of sowing with better income options. It would increase diversification with more focus on cash crops and improve the agribusiness supply chain and curtail price fluctuation, he added.

The Times of India

2020-10-23

Shimla