New Delhi, Dec 25 (Agency)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that the entire opposition parties including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, have been misleading farmers of the country on the new three farm Acts and restated that Minimum Support Price (MSP) was to continue as earlier. Addressing a gathering of farmers at Mehrauli here just before the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the farmers, he said that despite the assurance from Mr Modi on MSP and other provisions of the farm laws, the Centre is always ready to discuss their apprehensions of the farmers if they have any.
“The three farm laws are in the favour of the farmers. Nobody can remove MSP system or snatch farmers’ land from them. The government is ready to hold talks with farmers’ unions with an open heart”, Mr Shah said, adding that if anyone has any doubt over these three Acts, the Government is ready to discuss clause by clause provision of the laws. Referring to the transfer of Rs 18,000 crore of Kisan Samman Nidhi to the 9 crore farmers’ account Home Minister further said the previous Congress-led UPA government had released the amount only Rs 60 thousand crore in their 10 years tenure whereas the Modi Government has transferred Rs 95,000 crore in just two and half years. Describing the Mr Modi-led Government as a true savior of the farmers and has always given a top priority to the farm tillers’ interest.
Talking about the MSP, Mr Shah reiterated that despite opposition deliberate attempts of spreading rumours lies, the MSP will be continued as earlier for good and the Mandi system will also exist in similar way. Taking a dig at the Congress party, the Home Minister said that in last 70 years, they did not bother for welfare of the peasants in the country and the increasing of the farmers income by one and half time more, they did nothing despite the recommendations of the many committees.
“We brought Bills for the welfare and strengthening the farm sectors which were recommended by the many committees like Shankarlal Guru’s report in 2001, report of Montek Singh Ahluwalia who was a blue eyed boy of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sharad Joshi’s report and Swaminathan Committee report”, Mr Shah asserted.