REPEAL DEMAND NOT JUSTIFIED, SAYS CENTRE IN ITS AFFIDAVIT

NEW DELHI: The central government has in the Supreme Court blamed “vested interests” for instigating the ongoing farmers’ protests, maintaining that the recently enacted farm laws have in reality received “wide acceptance” throughout the country.

In its affidavit filed hours after Monday’s hearing, the government sad the three legislations are a result of two decades of deliberations.

We did discuss the Supreme Court order, informally. But the decision on what has to be done has to be taken by the farmers.

D RAJA, Communist Party of India general secretary

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Monday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should apologise to protesting farmers and repeal the three new agricultural laws, noting that the Supreme Court too had expressed its anguish and disappointment over the repeated failure of conciliatory talks and the government’s inability to find a solution.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, meanwhile, met Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D Raja in New Delhi to discuss t he Supreme Court observations.

“We did discuss the Supreme Court order, informally. But the decision on what has to be done has to be taken by the farmers. They have to react to it. We stand by their demand for the repeal of the laws,” Communist Party of India general secretary Raja said.

The meeting at Pawar’s residence came on a day the Supreme Court criticised the central government over its handling of the agitation.

But the Congress upped the ante against the PM and the government after the top court’s observations. Its chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala also urged the the Supreme Court to register cases against Modi, home minister Amit Shah, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath after taking note of their actions that, he said, had caused damage to public property.

He said the Centre and state governments have dug up roads and caused blockades on the national highways to stop the farmers from entering Delhi.

“The Prime Minister should apologise not only to the families of 65 farmers who have sacrificed their lives but also to the 62 crore farmers of the country. He should talk to the agitating farmers and nothing short of it is acceptable to the annadatas (food givers),” Surjewala told reporters.

The Congress spokesperson held the PM, the home minister and chief ministers of Haryana and UP directly responsible for the current agitation, saying they stopped farmers from coming to Delhi and expressing their opposition to the farm laws in a Gandhian manner.

NCP leader Jayant Patil said, This is a victory for farmers. It is now clear that the Centre has not handled the farmers’ agitation properly.”