‘Congress has exposed anti-farmer character by opposing farm bills’
| Date :24-Sep-2020 |
Staff Reporter ;
RAIPUR,
Terming that by opposing the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, which were passed by the Parliament recently, Bharatiya Janata Party stated that the Congress has exposed its ideological impoverishment but also have exposed its anti-farmer character. BJP National Vice-President Dr Raman Singh has stated that the Congress is not able to digest the revolutionary initiative taken by the center towards providing a good future to the farmers.
This opposition has in fact proved that the complete political character of the Congress is anti-farmer and that it feigns to be the well-wisher of farmers. He asked by opposing these Bills, whether Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and the Congress leaders here are planning to play some new dirty tricks against the farmers. The BJP National Vice-President said that the Congress had promised the same in 2013 and had put in its election manifesto for 2019 Lok Sabha elections, which has been confirmed from the statement of senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal in the Parliament. Dr Singh said that today the Congress is intent on creating an atmosphere of anarchy amidst this COVID-19 crisis in the country by instigating the farmers on the same lines as had its interim President Sonia Gandhi had done in one of her speeches on CAA-NRC issue.
The BJP National Vice- President and former Chief Minister said that these Agriculture Bills are an option before the farmers and whether or not to choose them is their discretionary decision. If the farmers find the ongoing system convenient and profitable then they will be able to continue with it and if not, they will be able to explore better possibilities for themselves by accepting the system of agricultural reform Bills passed by the Central Government. Dr Singh said that the Congress is constantly confusing the farmers about the minimum support price, mandi system, agreement farming, while the truth is that the minimum support price system is notgoing to be affected by the agriculture Bill. Dr Singh said that the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, which were passed by the Parliament, has been introduced with an objective to enable barrier-free trade in agriculture produce and also empower the farmers to engage with sponsors of his choice.
Dr Singh said that the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill 2020, will promote efficient, transparent and barrier-free inter–State and intra-state trade and commerce of farmers’ produce outside the premises of markets or deemed markets notified under various state agricultural produce market legislations. Similarly, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill 2020, will provide for a national framework on farming agreements that protects and empowers farmers to engage with agri-business firms, processors, wholesalers, exporters or large retailers for farm services and sale of future farming produce at a mutually agreed remunerative price framework in a fair and transparent manner.