Farm laws protests: Govt digs in heels while BJP successfully manages to make the day all about Covid vaccination

Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, September 17

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Last year this day, the Lok Sabha passed the contentious farm laws, which the Narendra Modi government said were “aimed at transforming agriculture in the country and raising farmers’ income”.

After a tumultuous year of widespread protests, farmers and BJP’s rivals today again registered their opposition to the three laws on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday, the day the ruling party celebrates as “Sewa Divas”.

However, the BJP and the party-led government successfully managed to turn PM’s birthday into yet another landmark for his government.

As the country administered record Covid doses to mark the day, BJP president JP Nadda said “crores of party karyakartas supported the mass corona vaccination programme across the country”.

“We all wish and pray that Narendra Modi ji’s journey of making India a ‘Vishwaguru’ is fulfilled soon and we all should pledge to strengthen his hands and work tirelessly to achieve the goals,” Nadda said, enumerating all his accomplishments as the prime minister of the country.

Meanwhile, making clear the government’s stance on the issue, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said “to encourage the next generation to invest in agriculture and to ensure profitable yields for the crops, new farm laws have been enacted”.

“The government is going to spend Rs 6,850 crore to set up 10,000 new Farmers’ Producing Organisations (FPOs) and as a result the lives of about 86 per cent of farmers would be transformed,” Tomar added, inaugurating the “Nutri-Cereal Multi-Stakeholders’ Mega Convention 3.0” in Hyderabad.

Farmers and BJP’s rivals, including Punjab’s Akali Dal and AAP, today observed “black day” while the Indian Youth Congress celebrated PM’s 71st birthday as “National Unemployment Day”, alleging that his government had been “lying for the past seven years in the name of employment”.

The BJP, which launched ‘Sewa aur Samarpan’ campaign on the day, will organise various programmes like blood donation camps, medical camps, cleanliness drive, free ration distribution and other help and assistance to poor and needy over the next two weeks.

October 7 also marks PM Modi’s 20 years in public life since he became chief minister of Gujarat in 2001.

Inaugurating the campaign, Nadda said it is a matter of pride for the country and BJP workers to have PM Modi as a guiding personality.

“We are being led and guided by a great personality whose entire life is devoted towards the preservation and promotion of India’s rich cultural diversity and heritage,” he said.

Nadda said since his childhood as ‘Bal Swayamsewak’ till today as the ‘Pradhan Sewak’, PM Modi “strived and worked for the welfare of poor, oppressed, backward and needy sections of the society and worked tirelessly for their upliftment” and “accomplished important tasks for the country and the people which were so far considered impossible”.

“He also changed the thought process of every Indian and transformed India’s political work culture.

“Indian politics was earlier plagued with casteism, dynasticism, appeasement and nepotism. All this has now changed. He has evolved as a reformer who passionately raises social issues plaguing India and then effectively addresses through public participation,” Nadda added.