Farmers Movement Archive

‘Rajasthan local polls win is a mandate given by farmers’

The BJP on Wednesday claimed that its win in the local body election in Rajasthan and election victories in other States after the three farm Bills were passed by Parliament were a “mandate” accorded by farmers for the agricultural reforms initiated by the Modi government. In a tweet, BJP president J.P. Nadda said the party’s win in Rajasthan symbolised “the trust the poor, farmers and labourers” have in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. ‘Trend reversed’ Senior party leader and Union Minister Prakash Javadekar stressed that people, especially farmers, had given the government a “decisive”victory. At a press conference at the BJP’s headquarters in New Delhi, Mr. Javadekar said the victories in rural Rajasthan should be especially noted. The BJP won 353 of 636 zila parishads and 1,990 of 4,371 panchayat samitis, leaving the Congress behind. By opting for the BJP, Mr. Javadekar said, voters had reversed the trend of the State’s ruling party winning most seats in the local polls. The Congress is in power in the State. “This is a huge victory. This is farmers’ mandate for farm reforms,” said Mr. Javadekar. The Central government had engaged in talks with the protesting farmer union leaders with an open mind, he observed, and expressed the confidence that a resolution would be reached. ‘BJP everywhere’ Mr. Javadekar noted that the BJP had recently put up impressive shows in a spate of elections, from the Bihar Assembly polls to bypolls in a number of States, besides local elections in Hyderabad and Arunachal Pradesh. “Be it the northeast, east, south; whatever direction you go it is the BJP everywhere,” he said. The wins had come after the farm laws, COVID-19 and economic troubles and “despite the misinformation campaign” by the Opposition, he added.

The Hindu

2020-12-10

NEW DELHI