Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is enjoying VIP tractor ride and spreading misinformation among the farmers during his ongoing tractor rally in Punjab. Congress has shifted its strategy from divisive caste based politics to agitation politics to achieve twin aim of opposing the policies of Bharatiya Janata Party and harming the nation’s economy stated Brigadier Veteran Anil Gupta, Spokesperson of BJP. Asking Rahul Gandhi and Congress to stop misguiding the farmers for narrow political ends Brig Gupta termed Rahul’s logic of questioning the timing of the bills and legislating them during the pandemic as ‘weird’. “Does Congress want the country to come to standstill during the pandemic period? On one hand it accuses the BJP of not doing enough to revive the economy and on the other hand it opposes the government’s efforts to double the farmers’ income who form vital part of nation’s economy. PM Modi has already clarified ‘jaanbhijahaanbhi’ while effectively leading the revival of nation’s economy during the difficult times”, asserted Brig Gupta.
The new farm laws are meant for empowering the farmer but Rahul Gandhi and his party is opposed to them because it wants the exploitation of farmers at the hands of politicians, middlemen, commission agents and brokers to continue. Congress is opposed to the “empowerment, happiness and prosperity” of farmers and wants them to remain at the mercy of state governments while protecting the middlemen who are usually patronised by the local politicians.
Even the Swaminathan Report was critical of the State Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee Acts (APMC Acts) and had recommended “develop ment of domestic and international markets for local produce, and move towards a Single Indian Market”, but the government without making any drastic changes has provided a parallel system to work with the existing system clarified Brig Gupta. Allaying the fear mongering and misguidance of Rahul Gandhi, Brig Gupta said that the new system is a freer and more flexible system enabling the farmers to exercise more than one option.
As regards MSP, Brig Gupta said that the existing system has been in vogue for almost fifty years but has achieved nothing much except adding to the woes of the farmers making them poorer by the day. All this while the MSP regime did not enjoy any statutory backing because it was never backed by a Bill. It was an administrative decision of the government. BJP in any case has assured continuation of MSP. As regards its inclusion in the bill, Brig Gupta asked Rahul Gandhi to clarify to the nation as to why Congress which ruled the country for most of the period during these fifty years did not bring a legislation or a law mandating the implementation of MSP? Why the Congress is now misguiding the farmers while the party itself never had the intent and will to make it an entitlement of the farmers,” questioned Brig Gupta? Even during the Congress regime farmers could not demand MSP as a matter of right.
On the contrary, the present Bills the choice of fixing the price rests with the farmers and they also enjoy legal backing in case of a dispute while continuing with the practice of MSP. The present bill also covers all farming products including fruits, vegetables and organic farming, MSP was applicable to only 22 items covering cereals, pulses, oilseeds and only four commercial crops.
As regards the question of small holdings by the farmers, rather than encouraging them to protest, the farmers should be advised to form commodity-based farmers’ organisation to combine de-centralised production with centralised post-harvest services including transportation to local and outsideMandis, price-negotiation, marketing and facilitating direct farmer-consumer linkage, recommended the Press Release.