Took a step back, will move forward again: Tomar on farm laws

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has said that the three farm laws, which have now been repealed, were a big reform after 70 years of freedom which was not liked by some people and the government has moved 'a step back' and will 'move forward again' as farmers are the backbone of the country.

The three farm laws were repealed after the requisite bills were passed during the winter session of Parliament which began on November 23.

The minister said at an event in Nagpur that the 'government is not disappointed'.

"We brought the farm laws. Some people did not like them but it was a big reform after 70 years after Independence which was moving ahead under the leadership of Narendra Modi ji.

"But the government is not disappointed. We moved a step back and we will move forward again because farmers are India's backbone and if the backbone is strengthened, the country will become stronger," he said.

The announcement for withdrawal of the three laws was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 19, the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.

The farmers, who had been protesting on the borders of Delhi against the three laws for almost a year, have suspended their agitation and returned to their homes.

Reacting to Tomar's remarks, the Congress on Saturday alleged that the Centre was hatching a 'conspiracy' to bring back the three farm laws after the next round of assembly polls and urged the people to teach the government a lesson by defeating it in the elections.

Congress' former chief Rahul Gandhi said the country's agriculture minister has 'insulted' Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'apology'-- 'it is condemnable'.

'If anti-farmer steps are taken again, then satyagraha of 'annadatas' will take place again,' he said.

'Had defeated arrogance, will again defeat it,' Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi, using the hashtag 'FarmersProtest'.

Referring to Tomar's remarks, Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the 'concerted conspiracy' to bring back the three 'anti-farmer' agri laws now stands exposed again by the statement made Tomar.

'Perceiving defeat in the five state elections including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had apologised and repealed the three black laws in Parliament. This happened after the longest, peaceful, Gandhian agitation for over 380 days on the borders of Delhi where over 700 farmers sacrificed their lives,' Surjewala said.

'Even then we had suspected the intent of the prime minister, the BJP, the RSS and the Modi government,' he said.

Immediately after the repeal of the laws, many Bharatiya Janata Party leaders had made intemperate statements pointing to the 'conspiracy' to bring back the three farm laws, he said.

On November 21, Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra said the three repealed farm laws will be brought back and also BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj made a statement to that effect, Surjewala said.

Many people dismissed these statements as aberrations but on Friday in Maharashtra, Tomar has 'fortified the conspiracy being hatched' by the Modi government to bring back the three 'anti farmer' farm laws after the completion of the elections in five states, he said.

'We call upon India's farmers, we call upon fellow Indians, that the only way to stop the diabolical conspiracy of the Modi government from bringing back the farm laws is to decisively defeat the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and other elections so that a lesson is taught to the crony capitalist-driven BJP government at the Centre that they cannot annihilate the rights of 62 crore farmers of the country,' Surjewala said.

-- with inputs from PTI