PM offers to keep operation of farm laws on hold for 18 months
By Our Correspondent
New Delhi, Jan. 31: Breaking silence on farm laws, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday chaired an all-party meeting where he said the Government’s offer to keep the implementation of the three farm laws on hold for 18 months is still on the table. And that Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar is just a phone call away for taking forward talks with protesting farmer unions.
This assurance came after almost the entire Opposition, which had boycotted the President’s address yesterday, raised the farm protests issue. Many, including the Congress, demanded the repeal of the laws and a discussion in Parliament.
Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad flagged FIRs being filed against farm union leaders in connection with the Republic Day violence in Delhi.Leaders like CPM’s Elamaram Kareem, too, raised the FIR issue. To which the Prime Minister reportedly said: “The law will take its own course.”
Condemning the Red Fort incident, Azad said the culprits should be punished but “it seems that the Government instead of catching the real culprits, is trying to implicate the farmer leaders.”
“I don’t think that any sensible farmer leader was party to that incident at the Red Fort,” he reportedly said. “There were some lumpen elements who had done it and those lumpen elements should be caught and punished severely.
All of us, who were watching television, including police, security forces and intelligence agencies, have seen those culprits on TV. However, in the name of violence on January 26, if innocent farmer leaders are framed, then this agitation will grow exponentially which the Government will not be able to manage,” he said.
Azad also demanded that the Government bring a Bill in Parliament immediately for restoration of statehood of Jammu and Kashmir.
