Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi insistence that the two-agriculture related bills passed recently will help farmers in multiple ways, the opposition leader in Bihar assembly Tejashwi Yadav and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav refused to buy Modi’s claim.
“NDA government has made the farmers a puppet of their funders. The urgency shown to pass the bill smells a rat. This government does not show even scant respect towards the pride and the life of farmers”, Tejashwi said on Tuesday.
Meanwhile commenting on the legislation of two Farm Bills, Lalu Prasad Yadav reminded about the impact of abolition of APMC (agriculture produce marketing communities) in Bihar. The Rashtriya Janata Dal chief on Monday said that never since the abolition of APMC by the anti-farmer, anti-poor Nitish Kumar government even one percent of targeted food-grains could be purchased above the Minimum Support Price.
In a tweet he said that this decision led to the rise in poverty in Bihar since then and has compelled every next person to migrate.
Bihar is the first state to abolish APMC in 2006, within months of the NDA government coming to power on Nov 24, 2005. The farmers across the country who are opposing the legislation of two Farm Bills by Parliament on Sunday are citing the example of Bihar to highlight the impact of the Union government move.
Earlier on Monday while unveiling projects worth over 14,258 crores for poll bound Bihar through a video address, PM Modi clarified that agricultural mandis (APMCs) will continue to function and the government will continue to buy farm produce at MSP in every session.
The PM criticised the opposition for misleading the farmers. However, as there is no mention of APMC and MSP in two bills creating fears in the farmers mind, they are on warpath.
