BJP national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Syed Zafar Islam today lashed out at the Congress stating that instead of welcoming the farm bills which are beneficial to millions of farmers, the party is misleading farmers by creating misconception for its own political gain.
Islam, who hails from Hazaribagh, on his visit to Jharkhand, addressed media persons highlighting the positive aspects of farmers’ bill.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had accused the opposition of misleading farmers on the recently-passed farm bills, and urged BJP workers to spread awareness on the benefits of the new legislation.
Islam said, “Congress is party whose leaders are miles away from ground reality. Congress party policies are prepared by leaders sitting in drawing rooms as their leaders hardly visit ground.” Islam said, “I would try to highlight three lies of Congress on farm bills which the grand old party is spreading, firstly Congress is saying that with the passing of farm bills Minimum Support Price (MSP) will be abolished but in reality, the farm bill ensures that MSP will increase.” “The MSP will be increased by one and half times benefitting the farmers. In paddy the MSP has been increased from last year,” said Islam.
Islam also said, “Congress is spreading lies that in the new farm bills the system of Mandi (markets) will be abolished, but in reality the farm bill ensures that system of mandi will be strengthened. Mandis will be electronically linked and under the new system farmers can sell their agriculture produce at any markets, they don’t have to depend upon local markets alone.”
The BJP spokesperson also said that in the farm bill there is provision of contract farming which will economically strengthen the farmers, but the Congress party is spreading rumor that contract farming farmers will lose the land holding positions.
The BJP leader claimed that most of provision of farm bills included in the Congress manifesto of 2019 parliamentary elections and even the UPA I and II governments had stressed on such provisions, but now the Congress party is opposing most of the provisions.
The BJP leader claimed that Congress governments used to make a complicated web of promises and laws that farmers or labourers could never understand. But the BJP-led NDA government has constantly tried to change this situation and has introduced reforms for the welfare of farmers.
In September this year, the three controversial farm bills that are at the centre of a huge political storm and cost the ruling BJP its alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal, became laws with the signature of President Ram Nath Kovind.