PM Modi slams Opposition over farm law protests

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hit out at the Opposition, including Congress, for objecting to the new farm laws, saying these parties are not with farmers, nor with youth and jawans.

In his address at the inauguration of six projects in Uttarakhand related to the Namami Gange programme, Modi said, “In the last six years, there have been many reforms that will change the common man’s life. The recent Parliament session, the bills passed with strengthen people. But people are seeing that some are opposing these just for the sake of opposing."

This comes amid protests across the country against the three farm bills which had been passed by Parliament during the recently concluded monsoon session. On Sunday, President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to the three bills.

Farmers and opposition parties have raised concern over minimum support price (MSP) and fair price of produce after the new reforms were introduced.

“When the central government wants to give farmers more rights, some people are still opposing this. In this country, MSP will stay and farmers will also have the freedom to sell wherever they want. This has ended one more route for their black income and they cannot bear that. These people have opposed every move that



has brought convenience to people’s lives," he added.

The only tactic that is left for the Opposition is to oppose development, Modi said. "They are against any development that takes place. These projects are to make India self-reliant, they are to benefit the poor and this work will continue."

These comments come hours after former Congress president Rahul Gandhi held a virtual interaction with farmers from several states and accused the Union government of "breaking the back" of the informal sector through its policy decisions and called the recent farm laws "a dagger through the heart of the farmers".

PM Modi on Tuesday inaugurated projects which include the construction of sewage treatment plants that will play a key role in ensuring that untreated waste doesn’t flow directly into river Ganga. According to estimates, the Haridwar-Rishikesh zone in Uttarakhand contributes about 80% waste water load into the river.

“The Jal Jivan Mission will strengthen villages. It is an example of how the functioning of the government has changed. Decisions are no longer taken from Delhi. They are taken at the gram panchayat level which has representation from locals and gives them an opportunity to free their villages from water problems," he said.