New Delhi, (Samajweekly) Despite the continuation of talks with the central government, the call for a Bharat Bandh appears to be a political conspiracy, said the Centre’s leading ministers on Tuesday. When MSP will continue as before and the mandis will also remain, what is the issue then, they ask. Opposition parties are trying to mislead and provoke gullible farmers, allege the ministers.
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar told the media: “Supporting the Bharat Bandh called in the name of farmers is nothing but hypocrisy by political parties. They are the ones who brought in a law to abolish the APMC and implemented contract farming in several states ruled by them. Now their hypocrisy has been exposed.”
He further said, “I want to reiterate that the minimum support price (MSP) which the farmers get at present will continue. The manner in which farmers have been getting the benefit of MSP for the last 55 years will also continue. The prosperity of the farmers of the country is our government’s objective.”
Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has pointed out the confusion being spread by disruptive and anarchist forces that are fuelling the farmers’ agitation. He has asked farmers to be wary of such forces. “The new agricultural reform laws will bring prosperity to the lives of farmers. They must avoid the propaganda being spread by disruptive and anarchist forces. MSP will continue and so will the mandis and farmers will be able to sell their crops anywhere they want at their own discretion.”
Tomar further said, “Investment in cold storage and food processing industry in the country is set to increase and farmers can achieve adequate levels of storage. They must avoid propaganda by the forces trying to divide society with their own political agendas.”
Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the doublespeak of political parties has been exposed. “The Congress has been supporting these changes during its reign. Now that the Modi government has made major changes, they are opposing them. The opposition parties have always been involved in a conspiracy to defame the country by misleading people. The farmers need to be cautious about these conspiracies.”
