Leading the opposition charge, the Congress today announced it will organize nationwide protests against the “anti-farmer” bills and collect the signatures of two crore farmers for a memorandum against the legislations which will be submitted to President Ram Nath Kovind. Several opposition parties also wrote to the President, urging him not to give his assent to the bills.
The BJP, on the other hand, is planning to counter the opposition narrative with a mega exercise that aims to reach out to the farmers and clear the “misgivings” on the MSP (Minimum Support Price) issue.
The opposition has alleged that the government intends to do away with the safety net of the MSP and the mandi system, a charge denied by the government which has accused these parties of misleading farmers.
Earlier today, Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar held a series of meetings with MPs and Union ministers from Punjab and Haryana and surrounding states where he briefed them about the merits of the two bills, the party sources said.
Sources said Tomar also reached out to the office bearers of BJP’s ideological parent RSS as well as the Bhartiya Kisan Sangh and Swadesi Jagaran Manch. Both the RSS affiliates have reservations about the bill and came out in the open with their objections.
Members of Parliament from Haryana, Punjab and neighbouring states have been given talking points to address their constituents, especially farmers, and clear any misgiving created by the Opposition about the MSP in the context of these bills, the sources said.
The government on Monday also hiked the minimum support price for buying six rabi crops, including wheat, by up to six per cent, as it sought to send a strong message to farmers on the continuation of the MSP-based procurement system.
The BJP has asked all state units of its Kisan Morcha, MPs and ministers in Union and state governments to categorically convey to farmers and all other state holders in the agriculture sector that the mechanism of minimum support price will be intact even after the implementation of these two bills, they said.
Tomar has also briefed the spokespersons of the party’s national team and state units about the salient features of these two bills and also on the MSP mechanism.
Meanwhile, the Congress is planning to up the ante on the farm bills issue by announcing a massive people’s movement which would include protest marches as well as agitations.
This was decided at a meeting of Congress general secretaries and state in charges, the first physical meeting held by the party at its 24 Akbar Road headquarters here since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
A resolution hitting out at the three farm bills was also passed at the meeting.
At a press conference after the meeting, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel said the opposition party will take the farm bills issue to the people not only at the state level, but at the district and village level.
“We discussed the political situation of the country especially the farmers’ agitation. The way the government of India is bulldozing anti-farmers’ laws in Parliament, it is totally unacceptable to the country and the people of India,” said K K Venugopal, flanked by Patel, AK Antony and Randeep Surjewala at the press conference.
“What we had witnessed in Rajya Sabha yesterday and today, we did not expect this type of attitude from a democratic government,” he said, referring to the commotion in Rajya Sabha on Sunday and the suspension of eight MPs of the Upper House on Monday.
Venugopal alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was “misleading the country” by making allegations against the opposition.
Surjewala also hit out at the government, alleging that the livelihoods of farmers and labourers was “being ended”.
In the next 72 hours, Congress general secretaries, state in charges and senior leaders will hold press conferences at state headquarters against these farm bills, the Congress’ chief spokesperson said.
Then in the next four days till September 28, Congress chief ministers, Pradesh Congress Committee presidents, Congress legislative party leaders along with MPs, MLAs and senior leaders will walk from the PCC office or a prominent place like Mahatma Gandhi statue to the Raj Bhavan and submit a memorandum to the Governor, addressed to the President of India, seeking withdrawal of these farm bills, Surjewala said.
A press statement by the party said the marches to submit the memorandum to the Governors will be held on September 28.
“On October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri, we will observe ‘Save farmers and farm labourers day’. We will hold dharnas and marches in every state and district headquarters across India against the agriculture bills, asking for their immediate withdrawal,” Venugopal said.
On October 10, all state units will organise ‘kisaan sammelans’ so that voices of farmers can be heard, he said.
Surjewala said from October 2-31, Congress workers will go to villages and collect signatures from farmers and the poor against the three agriculture-related bills.
Two crore signatures will be collected and the memorandum against the bills will be submitted to the President on Jawaharlal Nehru’s birth anniversary on November 14 by the Congress chief, he said.
Congress and some other opposition parties have been protesting against the farm bills, alleging that these would harm the interests of farmers and benefit corporates.
Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill were passed by both the house of Parliament amid protests by opposition parties like the Congress, TMC, DMK and the Left, as well as some farmer groups.
(With inputs from agencies)
