CHANDIGARH, Oct 14: Union Minister Kailash Choudhary on Wednesday defended the new farm laws and targeted the opposition, saying its only job left is to oppose any decision taken in the interest of the country by the Narendra Modi government.
The new farm legislations will give freedom to farmers to sell their crops anywhere to fetch better returns, the Union minister of state for agriculture said while addressing the local media of Punjab’s Sangrur and Barnala districts virtually.
The opposition parties are trying to “misguide” the farmers, he added.
“Today the Congress and other opposition parties have only one job, which is to oppose any decision taken in the interest of the country. Be it CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act), (abrogation of) Article 370, triple talaq … and now they are opposing these three new laws. It has become their habit,” Choudhary said.
He asserted that the BJP has done what it had promised.
The Narendra Modi-led government will not take any step that is not in the interest of the farming community, the minister said, asserting that the new laws would prove to be a boon for farmers.
Choudhary also took potshots at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his recent tractor rallies in Punjab against the new farm legislations.
“There are some opposition leaders who consider themselves national leaders and sit on tractors. I have been a farmer and I never saw a tractor with cushions. They sit on such tractors and get photos clicked,” he said while also accusing Gandhi of “provoking” farmers.
The Union minister said the Congress had promised in its manifesto to bring these provisions and now the party has taken a stand against it.
The new farm laws give freedom to growers to sell their crop anywhere to get better returns, he said.
“India got freedom in 1947 but farmers got freedom in 2020 under the Modi-led government. Why did farmers have to wait so long,” he asked.
“A trader can sell his product anywhere but farmers did not have such freedom. But now farmers can now sell crops anywhere,” Choudhary added.
The minister said the Punjab government imposes 8.5 per cent tax, which, he claimed, is the highest in the country, apparently referring to the mandi tax and other levies in the state.
“Now under these laws, farmers have freedom to sell crop outside mandis. They do not need to pay any tax,” he said.
Under contract farming, farmers can sell crops to anyone if he gets rates higher than the agreed price, while traders would have to buy crops at agreed price from farmers in case of drop in crop prices, the minister said.
If a trader breaches the terms of agreement with farmers, he can be penalised, he said while virtually addressing a group of farmers of Sangrur and Barnala. (PTI)
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