Parl Affairs min says 'farmers being misled for petty politics'; allays MSP & mandi fears

As ‘Bharat Bandh’ announced by the farmers' unions and political parties in protest against the new agriculture laws kick-started on Tuesday, the Central government firmly objected the move, stating that the farmers were being misled by forces for ‘petty politics.’

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said that the agitating farmers were being deluded by the Opposition parties that are trying to ‘politicise’ the issue of farm bills. He asserted that the recently enacted laws were a ‘game-changer’ as they reduce transportation charges and boost transparency, thus helping to increase farmers' income.

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Taking to Twitter, the Union Minister drew a comparison between the government’s stand on the contentious laws, in contrast to what the farmers believe. Through an illustration, Joshi allayed the fears of farmers on the issues of Minimum Support Price (MSP), the role of corporate players in the agriculture sector and the functioning of the mandi system.

READ | Kapil Mishra Calls Delhi Bharat Bandh 'flop'; Amit Malviya Calls Farm Acts 'gamechangers'

Farmers' protest intensifies with Bharat Bandh

Thousands of farmers that have been demonstrating in Delhi against the farm laws for the past 12 days, called for a nationwide bandh on Tuesday. The farmers’ union, however, stated that the bandh will be practised in a peaceful manner till 3 pm, to avoid major inconvenience to the public. 

In light of the Bharat Bandh called on December 8, the Ministry of Home Affairs also issued an advisory, asking states to ensure that no untoward incidents take place during the protest. Following the Centre’s advisory, security was beefed up in several states including Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

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While day-to-day activities remained unaffected in many places, incidents just as 'rail roko' Andolan in Maharashtra, highway blockage in Gujarat and protests in various states were witnessed.

The farmers are protesting against The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. Several rounds of talks between the Centre and farmers have failed to break the deadlock.

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