BJP thanks PM for bringing reforms in farm sector

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 21

The ruling BJP’s on Sunday passed a resolution thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing “much-needed reforms” in the agriculture sector with the three farm laws.

“The party believes that the laws were necessary for the welfare of India’s farmers and had been in demand for a long time,” stated the resolution moved by vice-president Raman Singh and seconded by Haryana leader Om Prakash Dhankar at the first meeting of the party’s new national office-bearers amid the ongoing agitation against the three laws.

Addressing party’ functionaries, the Prime Minister in turn asked them to strengthen and expand the party with the motto of “nation first”, reach out to people and win their confidence. The Prime Minister said the BJP’s mission is not just to gain power but carry out “big and good work” for welfare of people and the country and this is how the organisation should be evaluated.

“There is positive atmosphere in the country for development and everyone should work with the aim of nation first,” BJP general secretary Bhupendra Yadav said, quoting the PM.

The BJP accused the Opposition, especially the Congress, for spreading “negativity and fear” in the country, including on farm laws and Covid. Raman Singh called the protests “politically motivated” and blamed Opposition parties for keeping alive the agitation even though “majority of farmers were in the favour of the laws”.

“Farmers of the country are happy with the laws. The laws are being welcomed in different parts of the country. I think there is a conspiracy by Congress and Left parties to keep this agitation alive,” Singh said.  

“The government is concerned about farmers and ready to make changes,” he said in response to a question.

The resolution also praised the Prime Minister for his “able, sensitive, visionary and committed leadership” in handling the Covid crisis and “infusing in all its citizens the confidence to build an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, the “comprehensive and inclusive” union budget, and policies and programmes like the New Education Policy and the Swamitva Yojana.

The resolution highlighted the Garib Kalyan Yojana during the pandemic, the diligent handling of the situation on the Line of Actual Control with China, the labour reforms and economic and political situation of the country, said Yadav.

Yadav, who expressed confidence of BJP winning “at least 200 seats” in the upcoming election in high-profile West Bengal where it is engaged in a bitter fight with the ruling Trinamool Congress and returning to power in Assam, said “the NDA will form the government in Puducherry and likewise in Tamil Nadu with the AIADMK”.

Will win "200 seats" in West Bengal, return to power in Assam, the NDA will form governments in Puducherry and Tamil Nadu, says BJP

Regarding Kerala, Yadav said the party will “increase its support base” and “emerge as the third pillar” in the deeply polarised political scenario of the southern state. On whether the sky-rocketing fuel prices were also discussed at the meeting, Yadav said all issues related to people’s welfare were discussed.

“The resolution was passed in mind the country’s current situation,” he said. Though the resolution does not mention the fuel prices, it talked of BJP’s political success in Assembly and local bodies elections saying “public mandate is with the government”.

Party president JP Nadda also urged the cadres to strengthen the organisation and spread awareness about FPOs and ‘Bandhan yojana’. Next year, key BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are due for polls along with the epicentre of the farmers’ agitation, Punjab.

Leaders from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan have already been asked to reach out to Jats and agrarian communities at the ‘khap’ levels and ensure that they do not feel alienated from the BJP. The “support” to farmers’ agitation from “non-Jats and Muslims” has the potential to upset the saffron party’s carefully crafted caste equations in UP.

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