PM hailing farm laws shows govt ‘drunk with power’, ‘rigid’ in face of protests: Congress

Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reiterating that the brand new agri laws are useful for farmers, the Congress on Sunday stated the insistence in help of the legislations shows that the federal government is “drunk with power” and is inflexible even in reconsidering the laws.

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The Opposition celebration additionally demanded that Prime Minister Modi ought to instantly announce the suspension of the three “anti-agriculture” laws.

“The prime minister’s obduracy, arrogance and rigidity in dealing with 62 crore farmers and farm labourers of India is writ large by his insistence today in the ‘Mann ki Baat’ that the three anti-farmer, anti-agricultre laws, forcibly passed in an illegal and unconstitutional manner, by Parliament, are correct,” Congress’ chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala stated at a press convention on the AICC headquarters right here.

“For the prime minister to say that these three laws are absolutely right when lakhs and lakhs of farmers are sitting around Delhi agitating, demanding their withdrawal, shows that the Modi government is drunk with power and Prime Minister Modi does not care about the welfare of the farmers and farm labourers of India,” he stated.

It shows {that a} authorities “drunk with power” is inflexible even in re-contemplating and reconsidering the three “anti-agriculture black laws.”

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Mr. Surjewala’s remarks got here hours after Prime Minister Modi, in his month-to-month ‘Mann ki Baat’ broadcast, asserted that these reforms have opened doorways of new alternatives for farmers and bestowed on them new rights.

Mr. Modi additionally stated the farm laws have begun mitigating the troubles of farmers in a brief interval of time since their enactment in September as he cited the instance of a Maharashtra farmer who used their provisions to get the cash a dealer had promised however not paid to him in time.

Mr. Surjewala additionally hit out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah for attending a political occasion in Hyderabad however not reaching out to farmers instantly.

“If the home minister of India has time to travel 1,200 km to Hyderabad to attend a public meeting, why does Amit Shah does not have the time to go 15 km to the borders of Delhi and talk to the agitating farmers, why is it that the agriculture minister has taken out a date of December 3 before which no conversation can be held, have they consulted an astrologer for this purpose,” the Congress chief stated.

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Posing a number of inquiries to the Modi authorities, Mr. Surjewala requested why “12,000 FIRs have been lodged against farmers” and why is that that no dialogue is going down with them.

He accused the BJP leaders and chief ministers of branding farmers as “terrorists” and requested why is it that choose TV channels “aided and abetted by the Modi government are out to prove 62 crore farmers are anti-nationals“.

Mr. Surjewala alleged that the three farm laws tantamount to finishing the minimum support price mechanism which he said “will be a death knell for the interest of the farmers.”

“Prime Minister Modi wants to barter the interest of the farmers at the alter of four to five crony capitalist friends of his and ensure that ₹20-25 lakh crore commodity market is controlled by his four to five crony capitalist friends,” he alleged.

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“But prime minister has bitten more than he can chew because when 62 crore farmers rise in unison, the ‘Delhi darbar’ will be unseated and that is not a warning, that is a challenge to the prime minister,” he stated.

The Congress calls for that Prime Minister Modi ought to instantly announce the suspension of the three anti-farming laws and all of the “12,000 cases” towards farmers be unconditionally withdrawn, Mr. Surjewala stated.

He stated the prime minister and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar ought to apologise for the remedy meted out to farmers and the PM ought to personally communicate with the delegation of farmers.

After spending one other night time in chilly, hundreds of farmers continued to protest towards the Centre’s new agri laws on the fourth consecutive day on Sunday staying put on the Singhu and Tikri border factors, with farmer leaders deliberating upon their future course of motion about proposed talks with the federal government.

Also Read | Centre treating protesting farmers like ‘terrorists’: Raut

The three farm laws are – The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation); The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance; and Farm Services and The Essential Commodities (Amendment).

Farmers say they’re apprehensive that the laws will pave approach for the dismantling of the minimal help value system, leaving them on the “mercy” of large corporates.