Congress holds tractor rally to oppose farm laws

BHUBANESWAR: The Congress on Monday took out a tractor rally from Congress Bhavan here to Cuttack to protest the farm laws enacted by the Centre. The rally was part of the countrywide Kheti Bachao Yatra launched by the party to demand withdrawal of the farm laws.

Addressing the meeting, Odisha in-charge A Chellakumar described the new laws as anti-farmer and announced that the Congress will continue with the agitation till they are withdrawn. President of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Niranjan Patnaik came down heavily on the Centre and the State government for their anti-farmer policies and demanded that the minimum support price (MSP) on paddy should be raised to `2,500 per quintal like the Chhattisgarh government. 

Stating that the Centre and the State should safeguard the interest of the farmers during procurement, Patnaik said those purchasing paddy and other crops below the MSP should be put behind bars and heavy fines imposed on them. He said that both the governments should suitably amend the laws and insert these provisions as punishment for flouting MSP.

Alleging that the BJD and BJP are two sides of the same coin, Patnaik said that the ruling party in Odisha has not protested against anti-farmer laws till now. Chellakumar and Patnaik inaugurated the new district Congress committee office of Cuttack on the occasion during which district president Manas Choudhury and other leaders were present.