‘Some people are unable to tolerate the freedom of farmers,’ PM Modi tears into Opposition over farm bills

The just-concluded monsoon session was one of the most productive house sessions in the history of the parliament and the Union government spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought about a slew of reformative bills that is all set to change the lives of farmers around the country. But as usual, the detractors of the Modi government, fuelled by their hatred for the PM itself, tried to tear down the bills and also manipulated the farmers to go into a protest so that certain vested interests of the middlemen and political parties could be fulfilled.

Speaking while inaugurating various Namami Gange projects in Uttarakhand via video conferencing, PM Modi launched a scathing attack on the opposition, especially Congress for protesting against several bills introduced during the recently concluded Parliament session including the Farm Bills.

“Today these people are misleading farmers over MSP. There will not only be MSP in the country but also the freedom for farmers to sell their produce anywhere. But some people are unable to tolerate this freedom. Their one more medium to earn black income is finished” said PM Modi.

“They are insulting the farmers by setting fire to the machines and equipment that is worshipped by them. For years, they said that they will implement MSP but they never did. This was done by our govt as per the recommendation of the Swaminathan Commission” said PM Modi whilst calling out Punjab Youth Congress’ stunt of setting the tractor on fire in Delhi.

PM Modi was in no mood to relent and his official handle even tweeted about how Congress and other opposition parties, time and again, tread down an anti-national path and question the warriors of the country. Singling out the Balakot air strikes, PM Modi reminded how Congress had back then asked for proofs of the airstrikes. He reminded how the opposition had shown their “intention” before the country by questioning the surgical strike carried out by our security forces on Pakistan.

He also recalled how the opposition had opposed Yoga in India while the world was celebrating the International Yoga Day and that how they had also opposed the Statue of Unity dedicated to national leader Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. He said that no opposition has visited the Statue of Unity.

The PM also took a dig at opposition parties for having delayed the acquisition of Rafale jets which the air force needed badly. He reminded how the opposition didn’t do anything to empower the security forces and when his government tried to rectify that mistake, the opposition tried installing every blockade in the way.

“For years these people (opposition) didn’t do anything to empower our security forces. Air Force kept asking for Rafale but they never listened to them. When our govt signed a contract with France Govt for Rafale aircraft they started having a problem” said PM Modi.

With the three farm bills which will free the Indian agriculture from the clutches of Nehruvian socialism, the Modi government has done irreversible damage to the future prospects of Congress and many regional parties. The farmers were the biggest ‘vote bank’ for many regional parties such as Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Punjab, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) in Haryana, NCP in Maharashtra, and so on.

Most of these political parties have colonized the farmers with a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) which is as following: These parties kept the farmers deliberately away from the market so that they are dependent on Agriculture Market Produce Committee (APMC)- which charge a hefty fee ranging from 10 percent to 20 percent- to sell their produce.

The development of a nationwide market will not only benefit the farmer but consumers, too. The price of wheat, rice, or lentil in cities is two to three times higher than that to villages but once a nationwide market is developed, the prices throughout the country will be similar to a large extent.

Moreover, the farmers will not have to be dependent on Minimum Selling Price (MSP)- which has become the Maximum Selling Price for most of the crops- for better price realization. MSP also benefits the traders and big farmers, not the small and poor ones; so reduction in dependence on MSP will also help the farmers.

Therefore, these bills will harm the political parties like NCP, SAD, INLD which have colonized the farmer; will hurt the corrupt bureaucrats; but help the farmers, especially the small and marginal ones, in better price realization.

PM Modi has now taken the fight to the opposition and his aggressive stance spells doom for parties like Congress which have gone out of their ways to stir a controversy and malign the government in the eyes of the hardworking farmers of the country.