Oppn targets govt on handling of farm stir
Urges govt to repeal 3 laws, says ministers believe in monologue; BJP says Oppn needs to change its habit of going back on words
NEW DELHI: Opposition parties on Thursday tore into the government’s handling of the farmer protest against three contentious farm reform laws, saying ministers believe in monologue and trenches have been dug, barbed wires put up and spikes installed when bridges should have been built to win over farmers.
Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien pressed the government to repeal the three controversial farm laws and offered a ‘’Repealing Bill 2021’ drafted by him for the purpose.
Participating in a discussion on the motion of thanks on the president’s address in the Rajya Sabha, the Trinamool MP also referred to the death of a farmer during the tractor parade in Delhi on Republic Day and said there should be a “proper inquiry” so the truth could come out. “The ‘Repealing Bill 2021’... this will repeal all (three controversial farm laws). I have taken the liberty of drafting the Repealing Bill 2021. I will share it with them. You repeal these bills (farm laws). There is a way to do it. Eighteen months’ pause you will put on these (laws), but how?” he said in the RS.
The government had made a
proposal to suspend the laws for 18 months. Referring to the events that unfolded on January 26, O’Brien said, “I’m not coming to any conclusions. The home minister of India is in charge. Do a proper inquiry and let the truth come out”.
Raising the agitating farmers’ issue in the Rajya Sabha, AAP leader Sanjay Singh on Thursday urged the Centre to withdraw the new farm laws, by stating “have mercy on farmers who are being lathi-charged, called traitors, terrorists and Khalistanis”. “Farmers are protesting for 76 days, they are being lathi-charged, called traitors,
terrorists, Khalistanis. Talks happened 11 times, all failed, govt claims to be a call away but does not bother. About 165 farmers lost their lives. Have mercy and repeal 3 black laws,” Singh said.
Former PM and JD(S) leader H D Deve Gowda called farmers the backbone of the country and said miscreants and anti-social elements were behind the events of Republic Day and all political parties have condemned their actions and agree that they need to be punished. But the farmers’ issue should not be mixed with it, he said.
However, the ruling BJP
defended the three new farm laws in Rajya Sabha saying the government was committed to farmers’ welfare, and questioned the opposition parties for changing their stance on agricultural market reforms.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram contested the assertion in a ministry of external affairs (MEA) statement that the new farm laws were passed in Parliament after a full debate and discussion, terming it as “a travesty of the truth”. The record of the Rajya Sabha and the video record will show that there was not a full discussion, microphones of some MPs were
muted, and a “call for division (that is a vote) was summarily rejected”, the former Union minister said in a series of tweets.
Defending the laws, senior BJP member Jyotiraditya Scindia attacked the Congress for changing its stand on the three legislations, saying that the Opposition party has favoured similar laws in its manifesto for the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
“Opposition parties will have to change the habit of going back on words. Heads I win, tails you lose. For how long this will go on,” the BJP member said.