Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the system of minimum support price and government procurement of crops would continue, after the passage of two farm sector Bills by Parliament amid protests inside in the Rajya Sabha and by farmers in Punjab and Haryana.
Mr. Modi said in a series of tweets in English, Hindi and Punjabi that the Bills were a watershed moment in history.
“I said it earlier and I say it once again: System of MSP will remain. Government procurement will continue. We are here to serve our farmers. We will do everything possible to support them and ensure a better life for their coming generations,” he said in a tweet.
Mr. Modi said Indian farmers had been bound by several constraints and bullied by middlemen for years. The two Bills would give them freedom from the same and help in doubling their income, he said.
“Our agriculture sector is in desperate need of latest technology that assists the industrious farmers. Now, with the passage of the Bills, our farmers will have easier access to futuristic technology that will boost production and yield better results. This is a welcome step,” he said.
Welcoming the passage of the Bills, BJP leaders condemned the behaviour of the Opposition in the Upper House. Party president J.P. Nadda told the media that the Opposition parties had been “anti-farmer” by trying to stop their passage. He said the Opposition parties had violated the health and safety protocols in place due to COVID-19 by crowding into the well and going up to the Chairman’s podium as well as the norms of the House.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said the Opposition had “shown height of intolerance in Parliament” and “insulted the mandate of the people”. The “parties of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee”, referring to the Congress and the All-India Trinamool Congress, “they think they are badshahs”, he said.
BJP MP and party general secretary Bhupender Yadav questioned the Opposition’s idea of democracy. “Breaking the Chair’s mike, heckling him, tearing copies of parliamentary legislations, throwing social distancing norms to the air. Unprecedented opposition meltdown in Rajya Sabha today. Parties must explain is this their idea of democracy? (sic),” he said in a tweet.
