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PM Modi has worked more for farmers in 6 yrs than earlier govts did since 1947: UP CM
Amid the ongoing farmers’ stir against the three central farm laws, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done much more work for farmers in last six years compared to what previous governments did since Independence. While inaugurating two sugar mills in this eastern region of the state, Adityanath also attacked the opposition, saying some people are not able to appreciate the welfare work being done for farmers by the BJP government.
The chief minister was here to inaugurate a sugar mill at Pipraich in Gorakhpur district. He also inaugurated the second mill at Munderwa in Basti district from here digitally as his helicopter was unable to take off for Basti due to bad weather. Accusing the previous governments of selling 21 sugar mills in the region at throwaway prices after suppressing farmers’ agitation against the move, Adityanath expressed satisfaction that his government was able to start two mills with “four times higher processing capacity. (PTI)
Narendra Singh Tomar meets AmitShah after protesting farmers reject govt's draft proposal
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on December 9 met Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the next course of action after farmer leaders rejected the Centre''s draft proposal to amend the new agri laws, sources said.
The government, in its proposal circulated among the leaders on Wednesday, offered to amend 7-8 issues, including providing a written assurance of minimum support price. It also appealed to protesting farmers to end the agitation that''s been going on nearly two weeks now at various border points of the national capital.
The sources said the agriculture minister is believed to have discussed with the home minister a possible way to end the stalemate after the farm unions rejected the government''s draft proposal.
Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma on December 9 dubbed the farmers decision to reject the Centre’s proposal to amend the new farm laws as “unfortunate”.
He urged the protesting farmers to review their decision.
“It was unfortunate that farmer leaders have rejected the proposed amendments to the three agriculture bills,” Sharma said in a statement here.
He said the Centre has addressed all the major concerns about the minimum support price (MSP) and the mandi system in the proposed amendments which the “farmers should accept with grace”.
The Shiromani Akali Dal on Wednesday asked the BJP-led Centre to “stop playing games” with innocent farmers and withdraw the three farm laws "immediately and unconditionally". The SAD, which had pulled out of the National Democratic Alliance amid the consistent digs at it by the Congress after the enactment of the laws, also backed the farmers’ rejection of the Centre’s proposal on these laws.
“These proposals were nothing but delaying and diversionary tactics and tricks which have rightly been rejected by the farmers,” it said. "We are with the farmers in everything and in every way," it added. Farmer leaders on Wednesday rejected a government proposal on the three contentious agriculture-marketing laws and said they would intensify their agitation against the legislations with a nationwide protest on December 14. In a statement here, senior Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia said there was nothing new in these proposals.
Haryana Congress president Kumari Selja and Indian National Lok Dal leader Abhay Singh Chautala on Wednesday separately met protesting farmers at Tikri border and said the entire country stands with them against the Centre''s new farm laws.
Selja, who had on Monday met the farmers near Singhu border, extended full support to their ongoing agitation.
Interacting with farmers, she said, "It is extremely unfortunate that the ''annadata'' (farmers) of our country are compelled to agitate on the roads in this cold weather, but the central government is adamant on its stand."
"The government should immediately repeal these black laws," she added.
UK PM Boris Johnson in Parliament confuses farmers’ protest with India-Pak dispute
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on December 9 seemed to confuse two separate issues when he reiterated the UK government’s stance that any dispute between India and Pakistan was for the two countries to settle bilaterally.
British Sikh Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, who has been leading a drive to keep the protests by the Indian farmers against the government''s agricultural reforms in the news in Britain, repeated one of his previous Twitter statements on the issue in the House of Commons during the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) session.
New farm laws meant for welfare of farmers: Uttarakhand BJP chief
The Uttarakhand BJP on December 9 accused opposition parties of instigating farmers against the Centre for political gains and said the new agri laws were meant for the welfare of the farming community.
Pradesh BJP president Bansidhar Bhagat said the MSP regime will continue, the monopoly of middlemen will come to an end and farmers will have the freedom of selling their produce in the market of their choice.
With its name echoing in farmer protests against agri reform bills, Adani Group has said it neither buys food grains from farmers nor decides the pricing of food grains. The port-to-energy conglomerate said it only develops and operates grain silos for Food Corporation of India (FCI).
"The company has no role in deciding the volume of storage as well as pricing of grain as it only a service/ infrastructure provider for the FCI," it said in a statement posted on its Twitter handle.
FCI buys food grains from farmers and stores them in silos built through a public-private partnership. While private players are paid a fee for building and storing the food grains, the ownership of the commodity as well as its marketing and distribution rights, belong to FCI.
Sitaram Yechury on opposition's meeting with thePresident
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on December 9 said: "We have given a memorandum to the President. We are asking to repeal agriculture laws and electricity amendment bill that were passed in anti-democratic manner without proper discussions and consultations."
Farmers' unions reject government's proposal, say willintensifyagitation
Farmers' unions on December 9 rejected a fresh draft proposal by the government and said that they would continue theiragitationagainst the three contentious farm laws.
Farmer leaders said that theyhave read the new proposal that the government hadsent and have have rejected it. "If the laws are not repealed we will intensify our protests. New Dharna to be held on 14 December. The Jaipur Delhi Highway will be blocked on December 12,"said Farmleaders.
As thousands of farmers continue to protest at various borders of the national capital demanding the repeal of three new farm laws, the government on Wednesday proposed to give a "written assurance" that the existing Minimum Support Price (MSP) regime for procurement will continue.
The government also proposed to make necessary amendments on at least seven issues, including one to allay fears about the weakening of the mandi system.
In a draft proposal sent to 13 agitating farmer unions, the government also said it is ready to provide all necessary clarifications on their concerns about the new farm laws enacted in September, but it did not mention anything about the main demand of protesting farmers for the repeal of the laws.
It is the Centre, and not the farmers, which is prolonging the ongoing demonstration against the new agriculture laws at Delhi's borders by not addressing the issues, a farmer union leader alleged on Wednesday as the protest entered its ninth day here.In Noida, the protestors belonging to BKU (Bhanu) are staying put at Chilla border, while those from BKU (Lok Shakti) are camping at the Dalit Prerna Sthal since December 1. They are opposed to the three farm laws passes by the Centre in September and are demanding that these legislations be withdrawn.
Asked about the protest continuing for the ninth day, Rajeev Nagar, a local farmers' union leader said, "It is not the farmers but the government that is prolonging the protest." "The government knows our demands and knows well about our peaceful demonstration. It can address our concern and we will be gone. We do not want to sit here for long, we have got our farms and cattle to look after," Nagar, the Gautam Buddh Nagar unit president of the BKU (Bhanu), told PTI.
