Government is running away from discussion on farmers issues: Deepender Hooda

Congress Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Hooda on Wednesday said that the Narendra Modi government was running away from discussion on the farmers issues. He regretted that the government had stopped all dialogue with the farmers who have been agitating against the three farm laws passed by the government for over 100 days.

Hooda had on Wednesday given a notice in Rajya Sabha under Rule 267 for discussion on the farmers issues in the context of the three contentious farm laws on behalf of the entire opposition. The Rule 267 notice in Rajya Sabha entails suspending all listed business of the day and discuss an issue of urgent importance. The Chair, however, rejected the notice given by Hooda.

He insisted that the farmers issues must be discussed first thing in this session of Parliament. He said that the problems of farmers should be resolved through positive discussion in the House so that they can go home happily.

He said that on one side, the farmer who feeds the country is standing on the border of the national Capital and the son of the farmer is standing on the border of the country with a rifle on his shoulder to protect the country. On the other hand, the government is neither negotiating with the farmers nor discussing their issues in Parliament. It is clear the government is running away from the discussion because it has got nothing to offer to the farmers.

Hooda said that the government is constantly claiming that farmers will benefit from the three agricultural laws, so it should discuss the same in Parliament and explain the said benefits. The entire country wants to know as to who will benefit from the laws that the farmers of the country are opposing. He further said that 70 percent of the population of this country is dependent on agriculture.

“The government first refused to acknowledge the agitating farmers as farmers, rejected their demands, rejected the farmers' sacrifices, when we spoke in Parliament about condolences to the farmers, they also rejected it and today once again the government in its arrogance rejected discussion on the issues of farmers,” the Congress leader said.

He said that after Independence, this is the first ever movement that has been going on continuously for 105 days, where the agitators have faced all the allegations and scorn, and in which about 300 dead people have lost their lives, yet the protesters are still looking forward to the system with patience and restraint in the hope of getting justice.

Hooda expressed anguish at the fact that in the Kisan agitation, on an average three farmers are sacrificing their lives every day and their families are becoming destitute. Two days ago, 47-year-old Rajbir, a farmer from Haryana’s Hisar district, tcommitted suicide on Delhi’s Tikri Border.

“The government should understand the seriousness of the situation and accept the demands of the farmers,” the Congress MP said.