STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Congress on Saturday staged a protest here to express solidarity with the ongoing farmers’ agitation and demanded the immediate rollback of the recently introduced farm laws in the country.
Led by J&K Congress Vice President and former minister Raman Bhalla, the protesters assembled outside the party headquarters at Shaheedi chowk and held a peaceful protest to show their opposition to the anti-farmer farm laws .
Criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remarks that the farm laws reforms have opened doors of new opportunities for farmers, Bhalla said insistence in support of the legislations shows that the government is “drunk with power” and is rigid even in reconsidering them.
He demanded that the government should immediately announce the suspension of the three “anti-agriculture” laws.
Bhalla claimed that the laws would pave way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving the farmers at the “mercy” of big corporates.
The farmers of the country are angry and agitated over the three farm laws enacted recently by the Central government. It would be better if the Centre reconsiders these laws enacted without forging any consensus with farmers, he said.
He accused the Centre of seeking to mortgage the country to the rich.
Former Minister and General Secretary JKPCC Incharge District President Jammu (Urban), Yogesh Sawhney said that the new farm laws passed by the government are an injustice to the farmers and India. Farmers are the heart and soul of India, and attacking them is the gravest mistake the BJP has made. This is hateful politics and the Congress party will not stand by it. The black Farm Laws are flawed to the core and our farmers deserve better, he said.
Further attacking the BJP government for passing the farm bills despite the Farmers’ opposition, he commented that the Congress party and people across country will vehemently support the farmers until the laws are revoked, even if it takes years to do so.
“We would not let the Farmers’ livelihoods be threatened by this shameless government. All states of the country are today collectively advocating for the farmers. Not just the Congress party but common women and men too are raising their voice against these infuriating laws,” he said.
He further added that an alarming facet of the farm laws is that the farmers are denied a basic MSP, a guaranteed minimum, and are left at the behest of big companies. Small farmers aren’t well equipped to bargain with overwhelmingly powerful corporates. Farmers need state support and to deny it is a big mistake.
He criticized the BJP for “depriving all sections of society their due rights with each bill they pass unconstitutionally in the parliament and without people’s consent”. And said that this government is rightly called anti-people and pro-rich because it’s objective seems to be to protect the rich, the big corporates and their wealthy friends. They don’t care about the poor or the small farmers.”
Hitting out at the Prime Minister for his remarks that farm laws reforms have opened doors of new opportunities for farmers, Bhalla said that insistence in support of the laws shows that the government is “drunk with power” and is rigid even in reconsidering the laws. He demanded that Govt should immediately announce the suspension of the three “anti-agriculture” laws.
He attacked the government over the protest by farmers, alleging “promise was to double farmers’ income, the Modi government did double income, but that of Adani-Ambani”. “Those who are still defending the black farm laws, what solution will they find in favour of farmers?” he said.