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HP minister lashes out at Cong for misleading farmers on agri laws
The minister said Congress and others joining them to oppose these laws were not the well-wishers of farmers but acting at the behest of middlemen.
Urban development and cooperation minister Suresh Bhardwaj on Thursday lashed out at Congress stating that it was misleading farmers on the agrarian laws which were meant to revolutionise the agriculture sector in the coming times. He said the opposition party was acting as a lobbyist for anti-farmer forces.
In a statement issued here, Bhardwaj said, “Congress is misleading the farmers and playing in the hands of the people who had earlier been exploiting the agrarian community.”
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government has been working towards doubling farmers’ income and has also initiated several schemes and programmes. “After realising the needs of these laws, the government took the call. But Congress could not digest it as it does not want farmers to come out of the shackles of a fragmented system,” he said.
The minister said Congress and others joining them to oppose these laws were not the well-wishers of farmers but acting at the behest of middlemen.
“The newly enacted laws are not going to harm the farmers, but will give them the freedom to market their produce,” he said.
Bhardwaj said Congress is claiming that the new laws will hit APMCs, but during the UPA rule, it had been advocating abolishing the APMCs and even promised the same during the 2019 general polls,” he said.
The minister said the APMCs and marketing board will continue to function as usual. “These bills are not about MSP and there will be no change in government procurement under MSP. It allows the development of private mandi infrastructure in the state and ensures seamless market access to farmers,” he said.
“It will improve the agribusiness supply chain and curtail price fluctuation,” he added.
