Team Herald
PANJIM: The Centre has equated Congress with “Dalal of the Dalals” for opposing the Farm Bills. Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javdekar, at a press conference on Sunday, said the Congress is running a false propaganda against the Bills.
“Congress has proved it is the Dalal of Dalas by opposing the Farm Bills. The Bills have brought an end to the dalal system which operated for several years taking away rightfully earned money of the farmers,” he said, a day after meeting farmers across Mayem and Chorao.
On being asked about pan-India opposition against the Bills including that in Goa, the union minister dismissed it saying the protests are politically motivated by the opposition.
“I don’t know whether they were farmers or not,” he replied to some members of Goa opposing the Bills, adding, “But more importantly Congress has declared a national programme to oppose these Bills. NCP has declared a programme to oppose the Bills so it is a political move to oppose the bills, nothing is real.”
He also accused the Congress of running a false propaganda across the nation on the Bills, which actually is meant to benefit the farmers.
About his meetings on Saturday, Javdekar said that while Goa’s contribution towards support price to its farmers is impressive, the Goan farmers were more interested to know about the benefit through the Farm Bills. “Farmers did not object to the Bills. They were only inquiring about how they will benefit through the Farm Bills and what further improvement can be adopted in farming,” he added.
He explained, claiming that union ministers are on a pan-India tour to create awareness on the Bills, these together will have a significant impact on stimulating the growth of the farm sector that will ultimately facilitate easy flow of investments and thus creating the much needed post-harvest infrastructure. “Farmers will have direct access to the market that will earn them the profit. They will have the freedom to choose the sale and purchase of their produce. No agent will henceforth decide the price for farmers through these Bills,” he said as he listed down several pros of the Bills.
