Opposition misleading farmers, govt will continue to assure them: PM Modi at foundation ceremony in Kutch
He said the farmers who have been agitating against the three agriculture laws at Delhi borders have been misguided and reiterated that the new legislations are meant for their welfare.
FollowPrime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday laid foundation stones of a desalination plant, a hybrid renewable energy park, and a fully automated milk processing and packing plant in his home state Gujarat.
Harnessing its vast coastline, Gujarat is taking a significant step towards transforming seawater to potable drinking water with the upcoming desalination plant at Mandvi in Kutch district, an official said.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister expressed support yet again for his government's controversial farm sector laws that has had protesting farmers camping at the borders of Delhi for nearly 20 days.
He said the farmers who have been agitating against the three agriculture laws at Delhi borders have been misguided and reiterated that the new legislations are meant for their welfare.
"The agriculture reforms that have taken place are exactly what the farmer bodies were demanding and even opposition has been asking for them over the years," the Prime Minister said at a rally in Gujarat's Kutch after laying the foundation stone of several key projects.
"The Government of India is always committed to farmers' welfare and we will keep assuring the farmers and addressing their concerns," he added while speaking at a function in Gujarat's Kutch.
The Prime Minister further said that a conspiracy is under way in Delhi to confuse the farmers even as he sought to allay their fears with an example.
"They are being told that after the new agriculture reforms, their land will be occupied by others. Tell me, if a dairy has a contract of collecting milk from you, do they take away your cattle too," Modi asked.
Last week, the BJP had claimed that the Congress was contradicting its own plans to incite farmers and oppose the government. During the UPA rule, the Congress and Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party supported what are now key provisions of the farm laws, the party said.
Modi's remarks come amid hectic efforts in the government to engage with the farmers, who are demanding a repeal of the three laws.
Thousands of farmers, mainly from the northern states of Punjab and Haryana, have been protesting at Delhi borders against the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020, enacted by Parliament in September. The AAP had voted against the three laws in both Houses of Parliament.
Farmers' leaders have held several rounds of talks with the government but all of them remained inconclusive so far. Farmers are demanding that three farm laws be withdrawn which they say will leave them at the mercy of large corporations and override legal safeguards.
