Apologise to farmers, Gehlot tells Centre

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday asked the BJP government at the Centre to apologise to the farmers for the harassment they suffered during the agitation against the agriculture sector laws, and called for a repeal of the three Acts, which were brought in without any consultation.

The Bills were passed in Parliament “unconstitutionally, with brute majority and without any discussion”, while no consultation was earlier done with the State governments, farmers' groups and agricultural experts, said Mr. Gehlot. On the other hand, the Opposition had demanded that the Bills be sent to a select committee, he said.

“The farmers are on the roads in the entire country today... The Chief Ministers of four Congress-ruled States, including me and Amarinder Singh, had sought an appointment with President Ram Nath Kovind to discuss the issue, but the request was turned down probably out of some compulsion,” Mr. Gehlot tweeted.

The Chief Minister affirmed that the stakeholders' dialogue with the government must continue in a democracy. He criticised the Centre for its handling of the protests against the legislations and demanded that the laws be withdrawn without delay and an apology be tendered to the 'Annadata' (food providers).