In favour of holding dialogue with agitating farmers: Bihar CM

The chief minister, however, appealed to the farmers who have been on dharna at Delhi’s borders for months to be considerate and call off the protest in view of a likely surge in the Covid-19 pandemic

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said he was in favour of the idea of holding a dialogue with agitating farmers to resolve the months’ long agitation on Delhi’s borders against the three contentious farm laws.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. (ANI)

“The Central government has been holding talks with the farmers. The dialogue between the government and agitating farmers shall continue,” said Kumar, after meeting the people with grievances at the customary Janata Darbar at his official residence.

The chief minister, however, appealed to the farmers who have been on dharna at Delhi’s borders for months to be considerate and call off the protest in view of a likely surge in the Covid-19 pandemic. “Everyone has the right to protest. But given the pandemic that the country and the world are grappling with, it is not good for the people to remain on dharna continuously for so long,” said Kumar.

The Bihar chief minister stated that the farmers’ protest was confined to a few states, which reaped rich harvests and earned handsomely through procurement. “The new farm laws do not pose any issue for Bihar’s farmers. Farm productivity has increased in Bihar. The state government has toned up its procurement mechanism for the benefit of farmers. After paddy, we have now launched wheat procurement to ensure good return to the farmers of their produce,” said Kumar.

Regarding a query relating to reported hacking of phones of some top journalists, leaders and bureaucrats by hiring an Israeli firm under Pegasus project, Kumar said that it was not good thing. “There are some bad aspects of technical evolutions. Sometimes, technologies, which are largely beneficial, can be misused also. But it is not good that the technology should be misused to trouble someone,” said the CM.

To another query over rising prices of petroleum products, Kumar said, “I hardly cared about the hike in petrol and diesel prices, which I knew about from the newspapers. Appropriate action will be taken after discussion in the government,” said Kumar.

About Shiv Sena’s demand that the Janata Dal (United) walk out of the National Democratic Alliance as it holds divergent views on the Uttar Pradesh government’s population policy, Kumar said he did not take notice of such people. “Every state government is free to adopt the policy that suits them to check population. I am of the view that the rate of reproduction comes down when mothers are educated. And this perception is based on nationwide research,” said the CM, while taking a potshot at Shiv Sena for pursing opportunistic politics.