Post polls, govt will bring back farms laws: Cong

The Congress on Saturday alleged that the Centre was hatching a “conspiracy” to bring back the three farm laws after the next round of assembly polls and urged the people to teach the government a lesson by defeating it in the elections.

The Congress’ sharp attack came over Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar’s remarks at an event on Friday in which, while talking about the agri laws, he said the government moved a “step back” and “will move forward again”.

Congress’ former chief Rahul Gandhi said the country’s agriculture minister has “insulted” Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “apology”-- “it is condemnable”.

“If anti-farmer steps are taken again, then satyagraha of ‘annadatas’ will take place again,” he said.

“Had defeated arrogance, will again defeat it,” Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi, using the hashtag ‘FarmersProtest’.

Speaking at the event in Nagpur, Tomar said, “We brought agriculture amendment laws. But some people did not like these laws which were a big reform brought about 70 years after Independence under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.”

“But the government is not disappointed, we moved a step back and we will move forward again because farmers are India’s backbone,” he added.

Congress’ chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the “concerted conspiracy” to bring back the three “anti-farmer” laws now stands exposed again.

“Perceiving defeat in the five state elections including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab, PM Narendra Modi had apologised and repealed the three black laws in Parliament. This happened after the longest, peaceful, Gandhian agitation for over 380 days on the borders of Delhi where over 700 farmers sacrificed their lives,” Surjewala said.

“Even then we had suspected the intent of the prime minister, the BJP, the RSS and the Modi government,” he said.

On November 21, Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra said the three repealed farm laws will be brought back and also BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj made a statement to that effect, Surjewala said. Many people dismissed these statements as aberrations but on Friday, Tomar has “fortified the conspiracy being hatched” by the centre to bring back the “anti farmer” laws after the completion of the elections in five states, he

said.

The country’s agriculture minister has “insulted” PM’s “apology”. If anti-farmer steps are taken again, then satyagraha of ‘annadatas’ will take place again, said Rahul