New laws are worst assault of Modi Govt. on Farmers’ income- Pawan Khera

Shri Pawan Khera – National Spokesperson of Indian National Congress has said that the three anti- farmers  bills passed by the BJP Government would adversely  affect the interests of 62 crores farmers  and farm labours by destroying the  Agriculture Produce Market System (APMC), thereby the farmers  would neither  get the  minimum support price (MSP)  not  he would get the market rate  of his produce .

 

Addressing a crowded Press Conference here today in Jammu alongwith PCC President Shri Ghulam Ahmed Mir and other senior leaders, Shri Pawan Khera said that  as a consequence of the  three laws passed by the BJP Government  by passing the parliamentary traditions  and  the genuine objections of the Congress and other opposition would have disastrous consequences as a result of which the 86% of the  small and marginal farmers having  less than 5 acres of land  would be relegated  from  the possession of owner to a  contract labour under the new regime. He said that  BJP ruled Bihar State is the  class example of  this system wherein 2006, the APMC Act was abolished resulting into  worst  situation of the farmers,  whose produce  are purchased on cheaper rates by the middlemen and soled  in other states at MSP rates  after earning profits.

 

He said that the BJP Government under the garb of new legislation wants to implement the Shanta Kumar Committee Report, as opinioned by most of the Agriculture experts, thus  bringing an end to the procurement system on MSP  through FCI, as a result of this the farmers shall be solely dependent upon contract farming where the big company would determine the rates of the produce  at their own discretion.

 

Mr. Khera said that  the new system by abolishing the stock limit of the agriculture products would neither benefit the farmers  not the consumers but would benefit  only  the  hoarders and black marketers who would  purchase the  items  on cheaper rates  and  hoard  it  under legal cover and  sell at higher rates.  He quoted the report  of 2020-21 wherein is  stated that the Government  stocks  the pulses after  purchasing from the farmers and sells it in the open market when the  next  pulses crop  comes in, as a result of which the farmer wound not get the  market rate of their crop.  He alleged that 2.5 crore  pulses  scam is the  living example whereby  the pulses imported at the rate of  45 per Kg. were sold at  Rs. 200 per Kg.

 

Reacting to the claim of the  Modi Government that  the farmers would now

be free  to sell their agriculture produce anywhere in the country, as a blatant  lie , Shri Khera said  that  even today under the existing system, the farmers  are  at liberty to  sell their produce  anywhere in the country, as there are no restrictions in the APMC Act. However with average  land holding  at two acre or less , it is not expected that  a small farmer  would take his produce  from one state to an other  for better price but he has to sell it in the nearby Mandi at Minimum Support Price, which if abolished  would  be detrimental to the farmers and  these black laws would  do that.

 

He further said that  with the abolish of  these  grains and fruit/vegetable markets , the  crores of people  dependent in the shape of labours  and others  allied  jobs, transporters would loose their livelihood besides the states would loose the revenue which will use to earn by way of market fee and rural developmental funds. He quoted  example of Punjab which earned 736 crores  as market fee and almost equal amount as rural developmental funds during the procurement of wheat, while 613 crores commission was earned by whole sale dealers. But this amount is not paid by the farmers but by the Food Corporation of India or other private companies procuring at MSP.

 

He also countered the arguments  being  advanced by the Modi Govt. that APMC is not being  closed down, nor MSP abolished  but questioned  when  any transaction in the  APMC would be  taxed with fee but  outside the same  there would be no fee, how  would  the Mandi system survive. Neither there  shall be  any  records or data of the private  business outside  Mandi nor any Govt. control, as a result the Govt. would not be able to analyze the procurement or price of the same.

 

Shri Khera questioned that why the Modi Govt. is not ready  to incorporate  such guarantees of continuation of APMC and  no purchase  below MSP in the laws as demanded by the Congress and other opposition as well as   the organizations representing  62 crores farmers and farm labours and  instead giving verbal assurances  and terming them as misguided and resorting to lathi charge on protesting farmers.

 

The national spokesperson said that Congress party has always  fought the battle for the rights of famers and farm labours  both within parliament and on the streets and would stand shoulder to shoulder  in their struggle under the leadership of Smt. Sonia Gandhi and Shri Rahul Gandhi and would oppose the black laws  against the  rights of the farmers.

 

Others present in the press conference include Shri Raman Bhalla, Shri Ravinder Sharma,  Th. Manmohan Singh, Shri Rajnish Sharma, Ch. Ghau Ram and Hari Singh Chib.

 

The PCC President G.A. Mir  said that  Congress party would vigorously  oppose  such anti-farmers moves of the BJP Government  at  every level  and stand shoulder to shoulder with the farmers of the Country. He described it as the worst  assault  of the Modi Govt. on the farmers  who would loose their  earnings  to  the benefit of big capatilists  and  big companies while the MOdi Govt.  gives  false  and fake slogans of  doubling the farmers income  by 2022.

 

Expressing grave concern over the series of killings of PRIs representatives and political workers in the Valley, the PCC Chief strongly condemned the  brutal killing of  BDC Chairman in Badgam, Kashmir Shri Bupinder Singh, yesterday and termed it as failure of the Centre and UT administration to check such killing s of public representatives and unable to provide  proper security to them. He said that  the Govt. has utterly failed  to create conducive security  and political environment  for  any political activity  and people  especially the political workers  are insecure in  various parts of Jammu and Kashmir.

 

Shri Mir also expressed great concern over the rising number of  Covid cases and  the casualties  because of  inadequate  facilities in the hospitals  which is  great failure of the government. He expressed sympathies with those  who are  affected due to covid situation and demanded that the Govt. should  create adequate  and proper  facilities to save the precious lives and provide  the necessary  health and medicare facilities to the people .