Farmers Movement Archive

Shanta Kumar slams Opposition for unruly conduct in Rajya Sabha

Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Union minister Shanta Kumar on Tuesday slammed the Opposition for the unruly conduct of their members in the Rajya Sabha during the passing of the farm bills.In a statement issued here, Kumar said the conduct of the opposition parties’ was shameful and the most reprehensible in the history of the Parliament and must be condemned in strongest words. “Parliament is for dialogue, not for this type of hooliganism,” said Kumar.He said Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had made an objectionable remark against the minister of state for finance Anurag Thakur that had hurt the sentiments of the people of Himachal.Shanta said the Opposition was criticising the new agrarian reform bill for narrow political goals. The former two-term chief minister said, A few years ago the Prime Minister had constituted a high-level committee under my chairmanship to recommend changes in farm sectors.Agricultural scientist Ashok Gulati was a member of the committee. The committee report pointed out that agriculture was no longer a remunerative business but the world could not do without it.”“To help farmers, almost all countries in the world give direct income support to the farmers. I am happy that the PM has also implemented our recommendation of direct income support as Kisan Samman Nidhi,” said the 86-year-old veteran leader.He said the second major recommendation given by the committee was that farmers should be freed from the clutches of middlemen in mandis. By bringing the most revolutionary laws, the government has tried to provide the farmers much needed relief, he said. “However, the naive farmers have not read the law. Those who used to exploit farmers are the behind the ongoing farmer protests,” he alleged.

Hindustan Times

23-09-2020

Chandigarh