BJP leader defends ordinances on agri reforms

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 3

The BJP state unit on Friday alleged that the Congress and AAP were misleading farmers on the Centre’s ordinances.

Responding to the criticism from various quarters on the Farming Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance-2020 and the farmers (Empowerment and Protection) agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020, Avinash Rai Khanna said the three rules made by the Modi Government were framed keeping in view the Swaminathan Committee report.

Khanna also said the marketing committees would also function as before. He said, “We promise the farmers of Punjab to safeguard them.” The Congress was in power for 10 years and Manmohan Singh did not bother about implementing the Swaminathan Report on agriculture. It was only BJP which has taken the considerations and suggestions of the long forgotten report.”

The ordinances which have been criticised for rendering the MSP (minimum support price) irrelevant — ease restrictions on traders’ participation in all stages of agriculture. While they have been criticised for giving a free hand to private players and opening up the agricultural sector for exploitation from private players — Khanna, however, said the new rules were pro-farmer and shall protect farmers’ interests.

Dubbing the recent statements of the Congress state president Sunil Jhakhar and AAP’s Bhagwant Mann as totally ‘fabricated and malicious’, BJP leader Avinash Rai Khanna said the Centre under Prime Minister Narendra Modi was committed towards uplifting the economic status of the agricultural sector.

He stated that the state BJP would be launching an awareness drive and would go to each village in the state to make farmers aware of the ordinances.

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