NEW DELHI: Seeking to allay the fears of farmers over their landholdings, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while making a strong defence of the Centre’s new farm laws, on Tuesday said that a conspiracy is afoot to confuse the farmers over the legislations and accused the Opposition of using the shoulders of protesters to fire their guns.
After performing virtual stone laying ceremonies for three projects in Kutch of Gujarat district — a hybrid renewable energy park, a desalination plant and a milk processing and packing unit — the PM said the laws include all the demands made by the farmers and the Opposition in the past to improve the agricultural incomes of the cultivators.
“There’s an attempt being made to create fears in the minds of the farmers about the farm laws. Farmers are being told that their landholdings may be occupied by others,” the PM said.
While the farmers’ unions have dug in their heels to demand the repeal of the three farm laws, the government has maintained that it’s willing to talk to the farmers.
“The present agricultural laws had been the demand of farmers since a long time. Even those who are in the Opposition today were supporting these bills earlier when they were in power, but could never take a decision on them and pacified the farmers with false assurances. I want to reiterate that my government is ready 24 hours to resolve all your doubts,” Modi said.
He also gave the example of two sectors in Gujarat, which flourished without government intervention.
Modi said dairy and fisheries sectors grew exponentially without much intervention of the state government as the business is mainly handled by co-operative sector leaders and farmers.