The government blamed the farmers for the current stalemate in talks on farm reform laws but clearly indicated that it was in no mood to repeal the laws as demanded by the farmers protesting at the national capital.

Addressing a press conference here on amendments proposed by the government, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Commerce and Railways Minister Piyush Goyal, requested the protesting farmer unions to analyse the changes suggested and come back for discussion.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, spearheading the protest, has already rejected the proposal saying that nothing less than the scrapping of the laws was acceptable.

The Ministers said these laws were passed to help the farmers across the country as the government felt that they should be given a choice in selling their marketable surplus. At the same time, the new laws in no way would stop the prevailing mandi system in most States. If the protesters have some apprehensions the government is willing to further address them.

‘MSP will continue’

“An absolute wrong impression is sought to be created that the government will not continue the procurement under the Minimum Support Price. The government has made it clear on the floor of the house and on national television that public procurement will continue at MSP prices as at present through the APMCs and all the necessary taxes and other charges will be paid to the State APMCs will continue,” Goyal said.

On the proposed electricity amendment bill and stubble burning, the government is willing to ensure that they would not inconvenience the farmers, the Ministers said. They, however, admitted that the protesters did not ask for these proposed amendments as they only wanted the laws repealed. The government decided to gather the sticking points and tried to address them.

Farmer organisations however contested the claim of Tomar that farmers across the country have welcomed the laws and said the farmer groups which have been protesting in the country represent 20 crore farming households and they have squarely rejected these laws.

‘People understand’

“Ordinary working class people understand that these laws have been made to corporatise and monopolise food (production, trade and supply) security of India and the government is a willing accomplice to the loot and plunder of the food chain by ‘crony’ capitalists,” said the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), said in a statement.

‘Only farmers hard work’

It also called the Agriculture Minister “cruel and cussed” for saying that it was the visionary steps taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that led to higher productivity during the pandemic. “Either the Minister does not know how hard the farmers struggled to reach these productivity levels despite the numerous hurdles imposed by the government during pandemic from harvesting to marketing or he is joining the PM in trying to steal credit for the hard-work of farmers,” it charged.

comment COMMENT NOW