Alleging that the new farm laws brought by the government will lead to “collapse of mandi system, allow unlimited hoarding and prevent aggrieved farmers from moving courts”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is running the country on a “hum do hamare do” (we two, our two) policy. This policy, he said, has been in play in demonetisation, Goods and Services tax, lockdown and most recently, the three farm laws passed in September that have had the farmers across the country up in arms.
“You all must remember the saying we used for family planning—’Hum do, humare do’. This government has given that slogan a new meaning. The country is run by four people. ‘Hum do, aur humaare do’,” said the Congress leader. Rahul Gandhi, however, did not name anyone, declaring instead “everyone knows them”.
The farmers’ protest, he said, is not all that it appears. It is struggle for survival for many others too. “You all feel that this is a farmers’ protest, but you all are very wrong. This is India’s protest… the farmers are just leading the way,” he said.
Participating in the discussion on the Union Budget in Lok Sabha here, Rahul Gandhi said that he was speaking on the “content and intent” of three farm laws to which Prime Minister Narendra Modi had referred in his speech on Wednesday. “Yesterday while addressing the House, PM said that the Opposition is talking about the agitation but not about the content and intent of Farm Laws. I thought I should make him happy today and speak on the content and intent of the laws,” he said.
He alleged that the first law “was aimed at finishing the mandis”.
“The content of the second law is that big businessmen can store as much food grains, fruits and vegetables as they want. They can hoard as much as they want. Content of the second law is to end the Essential Commodities Act. It is, to start unlimited hoarding in India,” he said.
“The content of the third law is that when a farmer goes before the biggest businessman of India to demand the right price for his crops, he will not be allowed to go to the Court,” he added. He alleged that the new farm laws will lead to “bhookh, berozgaari and aatma hatya” (starvation, unemployment and suicides).
“India will not be able to generate growth, generate jobs… all because the backbone of our nation will have been destroyed for the benefit of ‘Hum do, aur humaare do’,” he added.