Farmers Movement Archive

'Protests limited to one state, farmers instigated': Minister in Parliament

The opposition has not been able to point out the shortcomings in the farm bills but continues to label them as “black law”, said Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday during the third consecutive day of the debate in the Rajya Sabha over the farm bills“Opposition used all platforms to criticise the bills. I heard all their statements during the debate. Opposition is continuously saying that this is a black law and should be repealed. I have been holding meetings with farmers’ unions for the last several months. I'm asking the same question to them also, what are the black provisions in these bills? But till now, I'm waiting for their reply,” he said.The agriculture minister also underlined that the government's offer to amend the laws did not mean it had any flaws. He also said the protests over farm laws were limited to only "one state" adding that the farmers were being "instigated”.“I made it clear that if the government is ready to make amendments, it doesn't mean there is any problem in farm laws. People in a particular state are misinformed. Farmers are being misled that others would occupy their land if these laws are implemented. Let me know if there is a single provision in contract farming law which allows any trader to snatch away the land of any farmer,” he said.The minister's "one state" attack refers to the protest led by farmers mainly from Punjab, a Congress-ruled state, as he countered the opposition charge that farmers across the country are protesting against the three new laws.“Our efforts are that farmers' incomes are doubled and contribution of agriculture to GDP increases rapidly. These agriculture laws are also an important step in this direction. I want to tell this House and farmers that PM Modi is committed towards welfare of farmers,” he added.The central law on contract farming, Tomar said, does free the farmers from paying taxes on their sale and also empowers them to exit agreement with traders while as per the provisions of Punjab contract law, a farmer could be sent to jail or be liable to pay penalty of up to ₹5 lakh for violation of agreement."I also want to ask farmers, specially those from Punjab where norms are different, including commission for arhtiyas (commission agents)...we have freed farmers from tax and state governments are levying taxes...so should the agitation be against those who are levying taxes or the one who is freeing them of taxes?” he said during the debate.Opposition parties like the Congress, Shiv Sena, SAD, NCP, Samajwadi Party and Left parties who have extended their support to farmers’ demand that the laws be repealed also attacked the Centre in the upper house. Sena MP Sanjay Raut attacked the government for dubbing the farmers protesting against the farm laws as "anti-nationals" and for "defaming" their agitation. Raut alleged that anyone speaking the truth is dubbed as a "traitor" or "anti-national" and that cases of sedition have been slapped against those criticising the government."We heard minister Dharmendra Pradhan asking us to listen to the truth. For the last six years, we have been listening to the truth, even the untruth dubbed as truth. The atmosphere in the country today is such that anyone writing the truth is dubbed as traitor and anti-national…When the farmers are uniting and fighting for their rights, you see anti-national acts. They are not anti-nationals or khalistanis,” he said.Expressing concerns over the violence that took place on Republic Day at the farmers’ tractor march, Raut said: “There has been no discussion from the Centre's side on who was actually behind the violence, but over 200 farmers have been put in jails for the same.”BSP member Satish Chandra Misra demanded that the government should repeal the three farm laws and also provide legal guarantee of the minimum support price (MSP) on all crops. He slammed the government for trying to stop farmers' protest and alleged that multi-layered barricades, barbed wires and iron nails studded on roads have been put up on Delhi borders, calling it “human rights violation.""I am not able to understand when you (the government) are ready to suspend the laws for 1.5 years, what is stopping you to withdraw these Acts," he said.Congress MP Pratap Singh Bajwa accused the centre of passing farm laws at a time when the country was focused on and suffering from the Covid-19 pandemic to stifle opposition. This was an “undemocratic” manner to pass laws, he said. “Today we have cut electricity, water supply, internet supply of our own farmers, we have put barbed wire fences around them, resembling a Berlin Wall,” Bajwa said. These things are shameful for the world’s largest democracy, he added.Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge accused the Centre of lying about MSP.“They (Centre) lie regarding MSP. Modi ji never stops saying that Congress did not increase MSP, [the] reality is in Congress’ time MSP increased by 219%, they only increased a little over 40%,” he said.“This government has always said that they will double farmers' income, but I want to tell you that when Modi ji became the PM, within a month in June 2014 all States gave a diktat that even if one rupee above MSP is given then action will be taken. Then the states stopped giving a bonus to farmers,” he said.Kharge also said the government conspired to encroach on farmers land and give it to corporates when congress leader Rahul Gandhi convinced the Centre to change the Land Acquisition Act to give four times compensation to farmers.The Marathon 15-hour long discussion in Rajya Sabha on Motion of thanks to President's address concluded on Friday.The Centre is scheduled to reply on Monday after question hour.

Hindustan Times

07-02-2021

India