New Delhi: Putting up a strong defence of the new farm laws, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said Friday the government’s offer to amend them to assuage farmers’ sentiments did not mean they had any flaws. The agriculture minister asserted that none from the protesting unions or their sympathisers have been able to point out any lacuna. He countered the Opposition’s claim that farmers across India are agitated over the three new farm laws. Tomar said that those in just one state are being misinformed and instigated.
Tomar’s comments in the Rajya Sabha referred to protests at the border points of the national capital being led by farmers from Punjab. The government, he said, is committed to welfare of farmers and to the continuation of the mandi system of procurement of crops on minimum support price (MSP) based mechanism.
“The agitation should have been against the tax levied (by state government) on sale made in mandis but strangely the protests are against freeing of the system from such taxes,” Tomar said.
“The government’s offer to make amendments in the laws does not mean there are any shortcomings in them,” the minister added.
Meanwhile Congress sought the repeal of the farm laws and a probe by a Supreme Court judge into the violence during the Republic Day tractor rally by protesting farmers.
Speaking on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address to the joint sitting of Parliament, BJP member Vinay P Sahasrabuddhe said the government is committed to the welfare of farmers and has taken a slew of steps in the last six years in that direction.
“Everyone keeps saying that the government must leave its arrogance but where is the arrogance…. We are ready for talks. We even offered to put it (the laws) in abeyance for 18 months. If we are showing so much flexibility why don’t they (protesting farmers) show similar flexibility. If people in support of the laws also sit on dharna, do we want civil war. We say it is supreme House… No one can take this House for granted,” he said in Rajya Sabha.
Participating in the discussion, Congress member Anand Sharma demanded repeal of the three contentious farm laws.
“Indian economic growth was sluggish before the COVID-19 affected the country. The situation worsened after the pandemic hit the nation, especially due to lockdown which resulted in many job losses. The government is responsible for this situation,” he said.
In these circumstances, Sharma stated, the farmers were forced to fight for justice and their rights. The government is responsible for the current situation on the farm laws, he said. He also criticised the attack on Delhi Police personnel during the farmers’ tractor rally January 26.
Congress MP Partap Singh Bajwa demanded setting up of a committee headed by a Supreme Court judge for an impartial probe into the January 26 incidents.
Referring to the hoisting of religious flags at the Red Fort, Sharma said the entire nation was hurt because of the incident but there should be an unbiased inquiry into the incident as demanded by Bajwa. He also said that the ‘unnecessary’ mention about the farm laws in the president’s address was ‘unfortunate’. He demanded that the government repeal these farm laws without making it a prestige issue.
On the authorities snapping internet at farmer protest sites and disrupting water and electricity supplies, Sharma said, “We have become internet shutdown capital of the world. It is time to mend ways, especially during this Parliament session.”