Farmers Movement Archive

Farm laws will do a lot of harm: Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said the Centre’s three agricultural reform laws will not benefit farmers in any way and instead will do a lot of harm. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi squarely blamed those with a political agenda for the deadlock in the Centre’s talks with protesting farmers. Reacting to the PM’s speech, Mr. Kejriwal questioned how the farm laws would benefit the farmers and alleged that their negative impact outweighed the intended benefits. “The BJP says that these laws will not harm farmers. But what will be the benefit? They say that now the farmer will be able to sell the crop anywhere outside the market. But outside the market, the crop is sold for half the price. How does this ‘benefit’ happen? The truth is that there is a lot of potential for harm from these laws and not a single benefit,” the Chief Minister tweeted. Amit Shah event Meanwhile, the BJP’s senior leadership, including a gamut of Union Ministers, addressed programmes across the city in support of the PM and the three controversial farm laws. Addressing an event in south Delhi’s Mehrauli, Union Home Minister Amit Shah credited the Prime Minister for having bettered the state of farmers in the country since coming to power. “I have come to say to the farmers that these three farm laws are in favour of the farmers, it will not harm the farmers. The Minimum Support Prices system will not be closed nor will anyone take away the land of the farmers. As long as Modi ji is the Prime Minister, no corporate can take away the land of the farmers, this is the promise of the BJP,” Mr. Shah told attendees. “The Opposition wants to use the farmers’ protest for its own political selfishness. In 2014 and 2019, farmers gave an absolute majority to PM Modi. The highest priority of the Centre is the welfare of the farmer,” he added. Farmers from various parts of the country have been camping at different border points of Delhi for four weeks now to demand repeal of the three farm laws, which were voted through in Parliament in September amid strong protests by opposition parties. Mr. Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party have come out strongly in support of the protesting farmers. Earlier this month, the Delhi CM had visited Singhu border, one of the protest sites, and reviewed arrangements made for the farmers by the city government.

The Hindu

2020-12-26

New Delhi