Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly defended the farm laws while replying to the motion of thanks on the President’s address. On the farm laws, PM Modi said his government has immense respect for the farmers, but they need to come up with specific demands which can be changed in the law.
“After the laws relating to agriculture were passed by Parliament, no mandi has been shut. Likewise, MSP has remained. In fact, procurement on MSP has increased since then. These facts can’t be ignored,” he said.
Modi called “Kisan-Rail” moving cold storage and cited examples with which farmers have transported their produce during lockdown. “After the laws were passed in Parliament, I want to ask the farmers, have any of their rights being taken away by these reforms?” he asked.
Leaders of Opposition parties such as the Congress and the Trinamool Congress were seen leaving the lower house during the PM’s address.PM accused TMC of “Leaving the state (Bengal) behind,” during his reply in Parliament.
This political punch came after Saugata Roy, MP, intervened in between PM’s reply after a passing dig at him. Prime Minister said the slogan-shouting “was a planned strategy to drown out reason and hide the truth”.
PM Modi replying to the motion of thanks added, “I consider the KisanAndolan to be pious. But, when Andolanjeevis hijack protest, showcase photos of those jailed for serious offences, does it serve any purpose? Not allowing toll plazas to work, destroying telecom towers. Does it serve pious protests? Till the time we could not bring investment and new technologies to our agriculture, we will not be able to make our farming sector strong. We need to go beyond growing only wheat and paddy.”
Appreciating the frontline worker in the fight against Covid-19, he said: “The way India handled and helped itself and the world during the Covid-19 crisis was a turning point. We had to fight against an unknown enemy when Covid-19 broke out in India. But the discipline of 130 crore residents of India has saved us.”