Opposition stalling farm bills fearing PM’s popularity: Arjun Ram Meghwal

The bills will go a long way in increasing the income of farmers, says the Minister

September 26, 2020 05:20 pm | Updated 05:20 pm IST - Panaji

Arjun Ram Meghwal. File.

Arjun Ram Meghwal. File.

Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Saturday said the farm bills passed by the Parliament were in the interest of farmers, but the opposition parties were trying to stall them as they were “worried” about the rising popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He also said that although the opposition parties were crying foul over the Parliament’s monsoon session getting curtailed, they themselves had demanded it.

The Minister of state for parliamentary affairs was addressing the BJP’s state-level executive meeting in Goa virtually.

“The opposition is trying to stall the farm bills drafted in the interest of country’s farmers, because they are worried about the increasing popularity of PM Modi,” he said.

“The opposition is criticising the government on the farm bills saying that they were passed in a hurried manner during the short session of the Parliament. But they are indulging in false propoganda,” Meghwal added.

“We wanted to have an 18-day long session of Parliament, but due to COVID-19 outbreak there was a demand by the opposition to curtail it,” he said.

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned sine die on Wednesday, bringing the Monsoon Session of Parliament to an end eight days ahead of schedule.

The Minister also said that the farm bills were long- pending, which the Modi government brought.

“You cannot say that they were passed hurriedly. They were pending for decades,” Mr. Meghwal said.

He said these bills will go a long way in increasing the income of farmers.

“The agriculture and labour reforms will work as a growth engine for the country,” he added.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, state BJP chief Sadanand Tanavade also attended the meeting, which was held at Mapusa city, around nine kms away from here.

The three bills passed by the parliament are the Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020.

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