Farmers Movement Archive

BJP MPs meet farmers protesting in Haryana

A three-member panel of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday met farmers who have been protesting in Haryana, seeking a roll back of three ordinances promulgated by the Centre. The panel, constituted by BJP’s Haryana unit chief Om Prakash Dhankar, comprises Bhiwani-Mahendergarh MP Dharambir Singh, Kurukshetra MP Nayab Singh Saini and Hisar MP Brijendra Singh. The meeting came two days after the protesting farmers blocked a national highway in Kurukshetra’s Pipli and clashed with Haryana police. Farmer’s bodies have called the ordinances -- the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance; Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance; and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance --- ‘anti-farmer’, and sought their rollback. Following the meeting, Dharambir said, “A few people are misleading the farmers over the ordinances. But we have briefed the farmers about the benefit of these ordinances. We are taking suggestions from farmers and will discuss the same with Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar.” Brijendra Singh said introducing structural reforms in agriculture was the main objective behind brining in the ordinances. “There are efforts being made to spread confusion regarding the three ordinances. The reality is that these ordinances will neither abolish the existing Mandi system nor abolish the minimum support price,” he said. All India Kisan Sabha vice-president Inderjit Singh said that the ordinances under contention were against farmers and the MPs should raise the issue in the Parliament. “The Haryana government should pass a resolution to withdraw these ordinances, otherwise farmers will be destroyed. We have submitted our grievances in the written to the three members MPs committee,” he said. Targetting the BJP government, farmers’ leader, Preet Singh, said, “The committee formed by Dhankar is an eyewash. The BJP government has become arrogant and we are surprised how a state president of the ruling party can form a such committee.”

Hindustan Times

13-09-2020

India