Margao: The Congress party, led by its Kissan Cell, on Saturday highlighted various issues pertaining to the three farm bills recently passed by the Parliament, terming them as ‘anti-farmers’.
Criticising the BJP government, the Kissan Cell and the party leaders said they would continue to fight till the bills were withdrawn.
Speaking at a melava that was held in Rivona, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Girish Chodankar said, “The BJP is busy pleasing crony capitalists while pushing their agenda of ‘savkaari’ because of which they don’t understand the hardships of the ‘xetkaris’. Congress party is committed to resolve the issues faced by the farmers. Our national leader Rahul Gandhi is agitating on roads with the farmers of Punjab and Haryana. We will continue our fight till anti-farmer laws were withdrawn by the government.”
Leader of opposition Digambar Kamat also raised concerns over the three bills. “If the BJP government was really sensitive towards the farmers’ issues, why did the Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, who visited Goa last week, not meet sugarcane, cashew, areca nut, coconut and paddy farmers to understand their concerns. With no guarantee of minimum support price, farmers will be left at the mercy of rich business tycoons. The BJP’s game plan is to empower the rich and mighty. Since the new law has removed onions, potatoes, cereals and pulses from the essential commodities list, the prices of these items will be completely under control of stockists which will lead to skyrocketing rates,” said Kamat.
He also pointed to the resignation of one of the BJP’s oldest ally and Punjab Akali Dal leader over the issue of new farm bills.
South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha was also present for the meeting and said, “The BJP government’s lack of concern for the poor was exposed when Prime Minister Narendra Modi admitted in Lok Sabha that his government did not have any data of the migrants who died on the way while walking miles and miles returning to their homes after the nationwide lockdown was announced. BJP is living in a virtual world glorifying Narendra Modi and, hence, cannot hear the cries of common man,” he said.
Convenor of ‘Kissan Melava’ Abhijit Dessai also spoke on the occasion.
