Amid the ongoing farmers' protests, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Thursday wrote a letter to farmers saying that 'confusion is being spread about the new agriculture laws'. The Agriculture Minister urged the farmers not to get swayed by those people who are spreading white lies for political gains.
The Minister said in the letter that many farmers across the country have started taking advantage of the new laws. He added that some farmer organizations are causing confusion to farmers about the laws.
"The confusion regarding laws, MSP, Mandi, and land is being spread. Some people are spreading lies for politics. I used to water my field till late at night, sometimes I used to wait for many days to sell my produce, I am aware of all this. Some people are lying to the farmers that the MSP will be closed," he wrote.
He added, "The government is committed to farmers with policy and intention. MSP will continue. When the security challenges continue on the border in Leh-Ladakh...when there is a snowfall of several feet...then these people who stop the trains carrying logistics for the soldiers towards the border cannot be farmers."
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah on Thursday held a meeting with Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal and Narendra Singh Tomar to discuss the ongoing farmers' agitation. The meeting was held at the BJP head office and was also attended by the party's general secretaries CT Ravi, Dushyant Gautam and Arun Singh among others. It lasted for more than an hour.
According to sources quoted by news agency PTI, during the meeting, Shah reviewed the BJP's outreach programme through press conferences and 'chaupals' or open meetings across all districts of the country to allay fears on the new farm laws. Since the large-scale farmers' agitation began a few weeks ago, the BJP has been organising press conferences and 'chaupals' in all the districts of the country on the new agriculture-related bills passed recently by the Central government.
The party has planned to hold 700 press conferences and 700 'chaupals' in the coming days. Shah has been holding meetings with Union Ministers on the protest issue and has also met farmers' leaders. The meeting was held on the day the Supreme Court heard a plea related to the farmers' protests against the Centre's three new agriculture laws.
The apex court on Thursday acknowledged the right of farmers to non-violent protests and suggested that the Centre put on hold the implementation of the three contentious agri laws as it was thinking of setting up an "impartial and independent" panel of agriculture experts and farmer unions to resolve the impasse.
