Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 22: Former Minister and president DCC Kathua Dr Manohar Lal Sharma, while terming recently passed farms bills as anti-farmer, demanded their revocation.
The senior Congress leader said that the Central Government should carry out extensive consultations with political parties, farmers’ organizations, traders and agriculture experts and consider amending these bills.
The Government introduced the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill in Parliament on Monday to replace ordinances brought into effect earlier.
Attacking the Centre over the issue, Manohar accused the Government of “betraying” the farmers and said the three ordinances, for which bills have been passed are “anti-farmer” and “anti-agriculture”. The laws were introduced through ordinances during the pandemic even though there was no urgency, the Congress leader said in a statement.
He said though the issue is a state subject, but neither the states nor political parties or agricultural organizations were consulted by the Centre. Alleging that the Modi government was “anti-farmer” from the beginning, he said an attempt was also made to end the compensation law for farmers through an ordinance, but the Congress under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership forced them to back down.
Dr Sharma said the biggest difficulty in contract farming will arise for small farmers as they will become “servants of companies”. “Alternatively, the Government should consider the option of mass farming by small farmers at the village level,” he said. Further, he said it seems to be some compulsion that the ruling party does not want to discuss the bills and is in a hurry to pass them. He said these bills will not protect the interest of farmer and will only promote hoarding which will be totally against the consumer.
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