Tomar Writes Another Letter to Farm Leaders Reiterating Assurances on MSP
NEW DELHI, Dec 17: Even as the Supreme Court on Thursday suggested the central government to presently keep the implementation of the three contentious farm acts on hold, the union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar is learnt to have written yet another letter to the leaders of the farm unions reiterating eight-point assurances to the farmers.
Tomar reiterated that the government is ready to give a written assurance regarding the MSP and other demands posed by the farm unions. Apparently hitting the opposition, he also said some vested groups were trying to create confusion in the minds of the farmers and are using them to fulfill their own agenda.
With the prime minister Narendra Modi scheduled to address the farmers in Madhya Pradesh via video link to be telecast to around 23,000 villagers in the state on Friday, the Gujarat deputy chief minister Nitin Patel launched a scathing attack on the Congress claiming that not even one per cent of the farmers were opposing the three farm acts and the protestation on the Delhi borders was a “conspiracy to malign the image” of Modi.
“Except in Delhi, there are no protests anywhere in the country. No one is agitating in Gujarat. Some 50,000 persons from a population of 130 crore want the government to scrap the laws which are passed by Parliament.
“What is the meaning of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha if we have to follow orders of 50,000 persons?” Patel asked. He alleged that “Anti-nationals, leftists, Khalistanis, pro-China elements and members of Tukde-Tukde gang have infiltrated the protests and pumping in money to keep the farmers at protest venues.”
“Not even one per cent (of farmers) are against these laws. The Congress is trying hard to incite people but not getting any support. Some elements, not farmers, are behind this agitation, which is actually a conspiracy. These elements want to malign PM Modi’s image and want to present a distorted picture about India to the world,” he said.
Meanwhile, supporting dialogue with the centre, the Bharatiya Kisan Union president Naresh Tikait said farmers did not want conflict during the protest against the new farm laws and the issue should be resolved through dialogue.
Tikait said the Centre should repeal the farm laws in public interest, adding that the contentious legislations were not in favour of the farmers.
Addressing the media in Muzaffarnagar before his departure to Delhi, Tikait suggested that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, BJP veteran L K Advani and RLD leader Ajit Singh should be part of the dialogue to resolve the issue.
But in a bid to discourage the agitators, the government on Thursday issued an e-booklet highlighting the success stories of farmers who have benefited from contract farming after enactment of these legislations.
In the 100-page e-booklet ‘Putting Farmers First’, the government said it has made clear the “truth” about the farm reforms and has mentioned “what will happen” and “what will not happen” for farmers. It also asserted that reforms in the farm sector were undertaken step by step in the last six years keeping in mind the needs of farmers.
The government asserted that the three farm laws were enacted in September after “two decades of consultations.”
(Manas Dasgupta)
