Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Kailash Choudhry spoke exclusively to The Daily Guardian ahead of the latest round of talks with farmers protesting against the new farm laws. Excerpts:
Q: How hopeful are you of a solution in the latest round of talks with farmers?
A: We have always maintained very high hopes with the talks. If the farmer leaders talk to us clause by clause, then I’m sure the solution will be found. One of their major asks was that farmers be allowed to go to court and that demand the Centre has agreed to implement. The stubble burning bill or the electricity bill issues have also been solved, as for the rest, we are ready to discuss and negotiate with the farmers. The issue is now stuck upon taking the bill back and that is not right because crores of farmers in the country are set to benefit by it. If this is the route everyone takes, then people will keep coming out into the streets for everything. People will come out because we removed Article 370 from Kashmir and over the CAA law. This will hinder the development of the country and the way it is run. If a bill has been passed in Parliament, it has been done by those who have been chosen by the people.
Q: Till the farmers were talking clause by clause, the issue was being resolved. The flare up took place only when the farmers started demanding a complete roll back.
A: Whenever something progressive is taking place and politics or self-interest enters the picture, then the matter gets stuck there. If the farmers were to sit down and discuss with us every issue they have with the law, then the government is ready to resolve it all. Be it the farmers protesting or the farmers working in the field, we don’t want anyone to have misconceptions about the law.