Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hailed the passage of agriculture bills in the Lok Sabha and slammed the Opposition for not supporting reforms that he claimed will prove to be “farmers’ shields” against middlemen.
Farmers will have more opportunities to sell their produce without having to worry about middlemen and this will result in increased profits, PM Modi said in a virtual message after inaugurating Kosi rail mega bridge via video-conferencing.
“Farmers have been given new independence in agriculture. They’ll now have more options and opportunities to sell their produce. I congratulate them on the passage of bills. It was necessary to bring these to protect them from middlemen. These are farmers’ shields,” he said.
Taking a swipe at those protesting against the bills, PM?Modi said that many forces were trying to “mislead’ farmers on this issue.
“Beware of the politics of those who ruled the country for decades and did nothing to empower farmers. These people are in favour of middlemen who unfairly loot the profit of farmers,”?PM Modi said.
His statements came in the backdrop of protests across the country against the passage of the bills. While Congress MPs from Punjab burnt copies of the bills inside Parliament complex on Thursday, farmers of the state said they will stage a ‘rail roko’ agitation across the state from September 24 to September 26 .
Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned as the Union minister for food processing industries in protest against the bills and her party Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has, along with Congress, Trinamool Congress and Revolutionary Socialist Party, opposed them.
The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 were passed in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill was passed in the lower house on September 13.