New Delhi: Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday appealed to farmers to try the three new farm laws as an “experiment” for a year or two and in case they are found not beneficial for the farming community, the government will do all necessary amendments.
Describing the protesting farmers as his own people, Singh said, “Those who are sitting on dharna are farmers and are born to farmers’ families. We have a lot of respect for them.”
Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and parts of Uttar Pradesh, are camping on Delhi borders for almost a month in protest against the three laws enacted in September.
At least five rounds of talks have taken place between the protesting unions and the government but a stalemate has continued with farmers refusing to accept anything less than the repeal of the laws, which they fear would leave them at the mercy of corporates by weakening mandi and MSP systems.
The government has allayed these apprehensions as misplaced and has projected the new laws as major agriculture reforms aimed at helping the farmers.
Addressing a rally at Dwarka in the national capital, Singh said he himself is a farmers’ son and assured that the Modi government “will never do anything which is not in the interest of the farmers”.
“People are trying to mislead farmers about these farm laws that they are not in their interest. I am the son of a farmer and have worked in farms. I want to assure you that there is not a single provision in these laws which is against farmers,” Singh said at the rally organised as part of the ruling BJP’s massive outreach programme on the farm laws.
He reiterated that the minimum support price (MSP) will continue and some people are trying to create a misconception that it will end.
Requesting farmers to try the new agri laws for a year or two as an experiment, the former BJP president said if these are not found beneficial, the government would bring all necessary amendments.
“For once let this act (acts) be implemented, for a year or two… Try this experiment and if you feel that this act (acts) is not in the interest of farmers, then I can say you this with conviction as I know the intention of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi we will do all necessary amendments in it,” Singh said.
Underlining that all problems can be resolved through dialogue, Singh said Prime Minister Modi wants the talks with farmers to continue, and therefore, the government has extended an invitation to them.
Singh appealed to all protesting farmers to come forward for discussions on the farm laws and if they want to rope in experts for discussions, the government is ready for that as well.
“Several rounds of talks have been held whatever suggested by farmers our government has ready to do all those amendments. The problems can be resolved through dialogue only, wherever there is scope for amendment government is ready to do that,” the Defence Minister said.
Hailing former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh as the great farmers’ leader, former BJP president also attacked opposition parties saying that Congress and CPI always cheated and breached the trust of the farmer leader.
He also mentioned and talked about Sir Chotu Ram in his address.
