Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren concerned about farmers taking to streets, lambasts Centre

Weighing in on the ongoing protests by farmers, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Tuesday lashed out at the Union government's handling of the situation. He contended that the Centre had once again attacked a section of the society which is responsible for propelling the country's growth. Mentioning that farmers feed the people of the entire country, he expressed concern about farmers taking to the streets. 

Read: 'We Asked Them To Form A Small Committee': Union Agriculture Min On Talks With Farmers

Talks to continue on December 3

The third round of talks between farmers' associations and the Centre on Tuesday remained inconclusive. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Chanda Singh- a member of the farmers' delegation stated that the protests against The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 will continue even as another round of talks shall be held on Thursday. Meanwhile, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar mentioned that the discussions in the meeting were cordial.

He added that the farmers' leaders had dismissed the Centre's offer to form a smaller committee for conducting talks. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and MoS Commerce Som Parkash represented the NDA government during the deliberations which took place at the Vigyan Bhawan. As per sources, the Union government gave a detailed presentation to the representatives of the farmers to allay their concerns about the Agricultural Produce Market Committees and the Minimum Support Price system. A huge section of the farmers has not only refused to proceed towards the designated Nirankari Samagam Ground in Burari but also threatened to block 5 entry points to the national capital. 

Read: Mixed Reactions From Farmers' Unions After Talks With Centre, All Eyes On Dec 3 Meeting

PM Modi accused the opposition of fearmongering

Addressing people after the inauguration of the road widening project of NH-19 on Monday, PM Modi opined that the backlash to the farm laws was based on "fearmongering". He charged the opposition parties of cheating the farmers for several years. For instance, the PM alleged that the benefits of MSP and farm loan waivers never reached the small farmers. 

PM Modi opined, "In the recent period, the country is witnessing a new trend. Earlier, if someone didn’t like the government’s decision, then it would be opposed. Now, the opposition is not issue-based. Now the opposition is based on fearmongering. They say, ‘The decision is good. But we don’t know what will happen in the future’."

"In the case of the historic agrarian reforms, the same act is unfolding. We have to remember that these are the same people who have cheated the farmers for years together. While MSP used to be announced, very little procurement was based on MSP. In the name of farmers, big farm loan waiver packages used to be announced. But the benefits never reached the small farmers," he elaborated.

Read: Farmer Thanks PM Modi For Mentioning Him On Mann Ki Baat; Shares How Farm Bills Helped Him