Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Feb 5: In a reminiscent of the Congress leader Sonia Gandhi terming the then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi “Maut ka Saudagar” that virtually turned the 2007 state Assembly elections on its head, the union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday accused the Congress of indulging in “Khoon ki Kheti” (Farming with blood) by supporting the farmers’ agitation.
Attacking the Congress over the party’s support to the farmer movement, Tomar alleged, “Duniya janti hai pani se kheti hoti hai. Khoon se kheti sirf Congress he kar sakte hai, BJP khoon se kheti nahi kar sakti (The world knows water is required for farming. Only Congress can do farming using blood. BJP cannot do this).”
Mrs Gandhi during an election rally in Ahmedabad had labeled Modi the “Maut ka Saudagar” in reference to the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat when he was the chief minister. The accusation was fully exploited by the BJP to project her and the Congress as the enemy of Gujarat and hurting its pride. At a time when the political observers believed that after six years in power, Modi’s popularity was in the wane, Mrs Gandhi’s accusation turned the tide against the Congress bringing the BJP back in power and since then there was no looking back for Modi and the BJP in Gujarat.
Speaking in the Rajya Sabha during the debate on the motion of thanks to the president, Tomar while insisting that neither the opposition parties nor the farmers themselves have so far been able to identify the “black points” in the three contentious farm laws the agitators are demanding to repeal, Tomar also said the government’s offer to negotiate to amend the laws should not be construed that there were flaws in the laws.
“Opposition used all platforms to criticise the bills. I heard all their statements during the debate. Opposition is continuously saying that this is a black law and should be repealed. I have been holding meetings with farmers’ unions for the last several months. I’m asking the same question to them also, what are the black provisions in these bills? But till now, I’m waiting for their reply,” he said.
Tomar hinted that in the government’s opinion the demand for the repeal of the farm laws was only “one state” problem, Punjab under the control of the Congress where the farmers were being “instigated” and countered the opposition charge that farmers across the country are protesting against the three new laws.
“I made it clear that if the government is ready to make amendments, it doesn’t mean there is any problem in farm laws. People in a particular state are misinformed. Farmers are being misled that others would occupy their land if these laws are implemented. Let me know if there is a single provision in contract farming law which allows any trader to snatch away the land of any farmer,” he said.
Tomar maintained that the government’s efforts were that the farmers’ incomes are doubled and contribution of agriculture to GDP increases rapidly. “These agriculture laws are also an important step in this direction. I want to tell this House and farmers that the prime minister Narendra Modi is committed towards welfare of farmers,” he added.
The central law on contract farming, Tomar said, did free the farmers from paying taxes on their sale and also empowers them to exit agreement with traders while as per the provisions of Punjab contract law, a farmer could be sent to jail or be liable to pay penalty of up to ₹5 lakh for violation of agreement.
“I also want to ask farmers, specially those from Punjab where norms are different, including commission for arhtiyas (commission agents)…we have freed farmers from tax and state governments are levying taxes…so should the agitation be against those who are levying taxes or the one who is freeing them of taxes?” he asked.
Opposition parties like the Congress, Shiv Sena, SAD, NCP, Samajwadi Party and Left parties who have extended their support to farmers’ demand that the laws be repealed also attacked the Centre in the upper house. Sena MP Sanjay Raut attacked the government for dubbing the farmers protesting against the farm laws as “anti-nationals” and for “defaming” their agitation. Raut alleged that anyone speaking the truth is dubbed as a “traitor” or “anti-national” and those cases of sedition have been slapped against those criticising the government.
“The atmosphere in the country today is such that anyone writing the truth is dubbed as traitor and anti-national…When the farmers are uniting and fighting for their rights, you see anti-national acts. They are not anti-nationals or Khalistanis,” he said.
Expressing concerns over the violence that took place on Republic Day at the farmers’ tractor march, Raut said: “There has been no discussion from the Centre’s side on who was actually behind the violence, but over 200 farmers have been put in jails for the same.”
BSP member Satish Chandra Misra demanded that the government should repeal the three farm laws and also provide legal guarantee of the minimum support price (MSP) on all crops. He slammed the government for trying to stop farmers’ protest and alleged that multi-layered barricades, barbed wires and iron nails studded on roads have been put up on Delhi borders, calling it “human rights violation.”
“I am not able to understand when you (the government) are ready to suspend the laws for 1.5 years, what is stopping you to withdraw these Acts,” he said.
Congress MP Pratap Singh Bajwa accused the centre of passing farm laws at a time when the country was focused on and suffering from the Covid-19 pandemic to stifle opposition. This was an “undemocratic” manner to pass laws, he said. “Today we have cut electricity, water supply, internet supply of our own farmers, we have put barbed wire fences around them, resembling a Berlin Wall,” Bajwa said. These things are shameful for the world’s largest democracy, he added.
Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge accused the Centre of lying about MSP.
“They (Centre) lie regarding MSP. Modi ji never stops saying that Congress did not increase MSP, [the] reality is in Congress’ time MSP increased by 219%, they only increased a little over 40%,” he said.