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Farmers’ protest may turn violent: Shanta Kumar to govt
He said that the government as well as the farmers should stay alert as the situation may spiral out of control due to involvement of anti-national elements
BJP veteran and former Union minister Shanta Kumar, on Saturday, said that the farmer movement has reached a crucial juncture. He said that the government as well as the farmers should stay alert as the situation may spiral out of control due to involvement of anti-national elements.
“It is unfortunate that despite long talks and assurances of Union ministers and PM Modi, the movement continues to intensify,” Shanta said in a press statement.
The three farm laws, against which farmers are protesting, are based on recommendation made by a high-level committee on Restructuring of Food Corporation of India (FCI) headed by Shanta.
“Some anti-social elements have joined the movement and some NGOs are suspected of indirectly pumping money to facilitate the protests,” he added.
He alleged that the command of the movement is not in hands of real farmers.
“A few days ago, there was a 100-day dharna at Shaheen Bagh. A delicate phase arrived when riots were fuelled in which 50 innocent people were killed,” he said.
“The farmer movement is also slowly taking the form of a similar movement. Leaders are fuelling the protests for their vested interests,” said Kumar.
He added that the movement is mainly run by Punjab leaders. Grain production in Punjab is high and the Food Corporation buys bulk of food grain from there. Its tax and commission amount to over ₹5,000 crore annually, said Kumar.
“With the new law in place, farmers will be able to sell their produce elsewhere and the earnings from commission will automatically come down. This is the reason why middlemen, especially from Punjab, are giving crores of rupees, quilts and food grains to the protesters,” he alleged.
“A leader whose photo has been put up at the protest site was accused of hijacking an airplane but was never caught. If this is true, the country needs to be careful,” he added.
Earlier, Kumar had said that the farmers’ protest is politically motivated. He said the new laws will bring radical changes in the agriculture sector and will not end the MSP system.
