Farmers' Protest LIVE Updates: The new farm laws are unconstitutional and show that the Centre's responsibility is towards the corporates and not the people of the country, said Barasat MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar
Representational image. AP
Farmers' Protest LATEST Updates: The Trinamool Congress claimed that the new agriculture laws will leave
small and marginal farmers at the mercy of big corporates and demanded that the legislation should be immediately repealed.
"Farmers will now be forced to sell their produce to big corporates at prices dictated by the firms. In case of a crop failure, however, these companies are not bound to buy the produce from the agriculturists," said Barasat MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hit out at the Centre over the contentious new farm laws, alleging that the government was "conspiring to destroy" the ryots and assured that his party will stand with them. Speaking to reporters in Tamil Nadu's Madurai, the Lok Sabha MP also accused the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre of trying to benefit "two or three of their friends".
Bhupinder Singh Mann on Thursday recuses self from SC-monitored panel to negotiate on farm reform laws. Mann, who was one of the four members in the Supreme Court-appointed panel, said that he was ready to 'sacrifice any position offered' so as to 'not compromise interests of farmers'.
The government is in favour of continuing talks with protesting farmer groups as it believes a solution can be found only through dialogue, Minister of State for Agriculture Parshottam Rupala said on Wednesday.
Eight rounds of negotiations so far between the government and a representative-group of thousands of farmers protesting against three farm laws have failed to resolve the crisis.
"Talks must continue. It is only through dialogue, a way forward can be found," Rupala told PTI.
He was responding to a query whether the government talks with protesting farmers' leaders on 15 January will be held as scheduled in the wake of the Supreme Court setting up of a committee to resolve the crisis.
On Tuesday, Kailash Choudhary, who is also Minister of State for Agriculture, said the government was willing to go ahead with the meeting and it was for the farmer groups to decide what they want.
Farmers, who have been camping at the Delhi borders, are demanding a repeal of the farm laws and a legal guarantee to the minimum support price for crops.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday had stayed the implementation of controversial new farm laws till further orders and decided to set up a 4-member committee to resolve the impasse over them between the Centre and farmers' unions protesting at Delhi borders.
