The farmers’ agitation entered 21st day on Wednesday and they have threatened to completely block the Delhi-Noida border on December 16. However, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar claimed that the farmers he met Tuesday afternoon supported the three new farm laws.
“The farmers who met me today have supported the three farm laws. They said that they are with the bills and government. As some farmers are spreading misconception so they were also misled. When I spoke to them they clearly supported the bills,” he said.
“It is shocking that after 20 days of farmers’ protests in the bitter winter of Delhi, the government continues to stick to the ‘no repeal’ stand It is obvious that any agreement between farmers and government will necessarily require a new Bill to be passed in Parliament. The simple way forward is to Repeal the present laws and Re-enact a new law based on the agreement Repeal and Re-enactment is a well-known legislative tool Government should climb down from its high horse and reach an agreement with the farmers quickly,” former President P Chidambaram tweeted.
Speaking at a FICCI event, Rajnath Singh had said: “The recent reforms have been undertaken with the best interests of India’s farmers in mind… We are, however, always willing to listen to our farmer brothers, allay their misgivings and provide them with assurances. Our Government is always open to discussion and dialogue. Our produce and procurement have been plentiful and our warehouses are full…there is no question of taking retrograde steps against our agricultural sector ever.”
Union minister Nitin Gadkari also gae a statement on Tuesday and urged farmers to understand the laws properly. “Farmers should come and understand these laws. Our government is dedicated to farmers and is ready to accept the suggestions given by them. There will not be any injustice with farmers in our government. There are some elements who are trying to misguide farmers by misusing this protest. This is wrong. Farmers should try to understand the three laws,” he said.
As per an ANI report, Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Chouhan said, “Rahul Gandhi and Kamal Nath who call us ‘anti farmers’, you placed the burden of interest on the heads of farmers. We, the BJP Govt, will remove this burden from their heads. You – the ones who betray farmers at every step – are talking about them. As part of the relief package, on December 18 an additional amount of Rs 1,600 crores will be added to the accounts of farmers whose crops were damaged. After this, another Rs 1,600 crores will be added.”