Farm laws not anti-farmer, says Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday said the three farm laws enacted by the NDA government at the Centre were not anti-farmer, but reflective of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to ensure the welfare of the ryots.

Hailing Modi's handling of the coronavirus pandemic by implementing a lockdown, he said even US President Donald Trump could not manage the situation and lost the polls.

Addressing party supporters at the conclusion of the Tamil Nadu BJP's Vel Yatra here, Singh warned those denigrating Lord Muruga and the Hindus in Tamil Nadu not to cross the limit, "else people will not spare you." Such persons were "anti-nationals" he charged.

The state BJP, under its chief L Murugan, had embarked on a month long 'Vel Yatra' or 'Vetrivel Yatra,' in honour of Lord Muruga after an atheist group Karuppar Kootam allegedly denigrated Tamil hymn Kandasashti Kavacham, sung in praise of the God, in a You Tube video.

Vel Yatra aimed at covering all six abodes of Lord Muruga, from Tiruttani to here, in Tuticorin district. The BJP leaders had courted arrest in many places since the state government denied permission for the rally, citing the COVID- 19 situation.

Vel is a spear-like weapon of Lord Muruga. On the farm laws, against which scores of farmers, mainly from Punjab, have been protesting outside Delhi for nearly a fortnight, the BJP leader said it was not against them.

Listing out Modi's various pro-farmer initiatives like providing them with cash assistance and crop insurance, he claimed that the Prime Minister's efforts in this regard was "unparalleled." "It is Modi who enacted the three farm laws. I can say with conviction, these legislations are not anti-farmer," he said.

"If a farmer can sell his produce for a better price outside the market, what is the problem to anyone, what is so anti-farmer about this? If a farmer is assured of a price for his produce, if a trader buys more from a farmer without any ceiling for stocks, what is against the farmer about it?" he asked.

He alleged that opposition parties like Congress and DMK could not fight the BJP face to face and were therefore opposing the farm laws.

"I believe in Modi's leadership and want to assure him that the farmers are behind him, Tamil Nadu is behind him and so is the country," he said.

Modi has worked for every section of society and for all-round development, he said and recalled an old song from a film of late matinee idol and former chief minister M G Ramachandran to say Modi was taking forward an inclusive development model.

On the COVID-19 issue also, he lauded Modi. He said when the pandemic had stunned the entire world, where countries like US, UK and Germany suffered badly, Modi had introduced lockdown and the entire country rallied behind him.

"Modi handled the pandemic situation successfully. Trump could not handle corona and lost the polls. Modi has successfully led the country out of the corona pandemic challenge," he added. He expressed confidence that the country would soon get a vaccine for coronavirus.

Singh, who said "Modi is a gift to the country," insisted that the latter was taking forward welfare initiatives started by MGR, including those on women's welfare. On the Karuppar Kootam controversy, he hit out at those who had denigrated Lord Muruga.

"It is unfortunate that Karuppar Kootam had insulted Lord Muruga, who is central to all Hindus and their faith. He protects all, blesses all. I want to challenge all those people, don't cross the limit, else the people of Tamil Nadu and India will not spare you," he said.

He urged the people of Tamil Nadu to reject such atheistic forces that are "against our culture and support Modi, whose mantra is sabka saath sabka vikas (inclusive development) and move forward with the BJP." It was this plank of development that made people choose BJP, including in the recent by-polls in his state, where the party put up a good show to continue in power, he said.

This was the case with states like Bihar, "where the party was written off by the media." He hailed the BJP coming second in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) polls last week, where it came second.

He claimed the party would next come to power in West Bengal, where polls are due in 2021 while NDA will form the government in Tamil Nadu after next year's Assembly elections.

Cautioning Congress ally DMK in the state, he said those who had joined hands with the former recently had "sunk along with it." DMK Chief M K Stalin will not survive if he aligned with the national party, Chouhan said. 

(Photo Credit: Twitter/OfficeofSSC)