Tomar’s remarks that farm laws could be reintroduced expose Modi govt’s diabolical conspiracy: Congress

The Congress on Saturday slammed comments made by Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar at an event in Maharashtra on Friday that the three farm laws - withdrawn by the government last month after they sparked furious protests nationwide by lakhs of farmers - could be re-introduced at a later date. Tomar blamed "some people" for the scrapping of the controversial laws and then seemed to suggest that all three "black" laws - as they were called by its critics - could re-appear at a later date.

“The concerted conspiracy to bring back the three anti-agriculture farm laws now stands exposed once again by the statement made by none less than the Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar. Perceiving defeat in the ensuing elections to five state assemblies including UP, Uttarakhand and Punjab, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had apologized and had repealed the three black laws in Parliament. This happened after the longest ever Gandhian and peaceful farmers’ agitation for over 380 days on the border of Delhi, where 700 farmers sacrificed their lives. Even then we have suspected the intent of the Prime Minister, the BJP and the RSS and the Modi Government and had called it a mere election stunt in view of the imminent defeat in the assembly elections,” chief spokesperson of the Congress Randeep Surjewala said while addressing a press conference on Saturday.

“Immediately after the repeal of the laws, various BJP leaders made such intemperate statements pointing toward malintent and conspiracy of the government to bring back the three farm laws. On 21st November 2021, Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra openly said that the three repealed farm laws will be brought back. Prime Minister’s favourite Member of Parliament, Adityanath Ji’s right-hand man, Unnao MP Sakshi Maharaj said in his constituency in UP that the laws will be brought back by another way,” he said.

“Many people dismissed these statements as aberrations, but, yesterday, in Maharashtra none less than Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar has fortified the conspiracy being hatched by Modi Government to bring back the three anti-farmer laws after the completion of the five elections to the five assemblies in the states,” he added.

“Three things were said by Tomar. Number one, Tomar called the repealed three farm laws as the most progressive piece of legislation in last 75 years. Mr Tomar, if they were so progressive then why did you repeal them and why were the entire 62 crore farmers agitating against it?” Surjewala said.

“Second thing that Tomar said was that certain farmer unions could not digest these laws, taking a dig at the agitating farmers. Thirdly, Tomar also said that the government has only taken one step backwards and they will now move ahead. Meaning thereby that after the elections to UP, Uttarakhand and Punjab and other assemblies, through the back door these laws will be brought back to impinge upon the rights of the farmers and to barter and sale agriculture at the altar of the capitalists friends of the BJP,” he added.

“We call upon India’s farmers on behalf of Indian National Congress, we call upon all fellow Indians, all 140 crore fellow Indians that the only way to stop the diabolical conspiracy of the Modi Government from bringing back the three anti-agriculture farm laws is to decisively defeat the BJP in UP, Uttarakhand, Punjab and other assembly elections so that a lesson is taught to the crony capitalists driven BJP government, Modi government at the centre that they cannot annihilate the rights of 62 crore farmers of India,” he said.

"We brought the agriculture amendment laws. But some people did not like these laws, which, after 70 years after Independence, were a big reform under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership," the Agriculture Minister was quoted as saying by news agency PTI at the event in Maharashtra.

"But the government is not disappointed... we moved a step back and we will move forward again because farmers are India's backbone," he said, according to PTI.