In a democracy, criticism should be reasonable, responsible and based on facts. However, something which is based on the mere element of creating delusion and leading innocent people astray is destructive criticism, and the nation should be very cautious about such aspects.
To the absolute dismay of a democratic country like India, the Opposition’s attempts of fuelling a politically motivated controversy, leading to a massive protest, is a clear example of how innocent farmers are being misled for self-benefit. Such destructive criticism is nothing but the absolute nadir.
The Opposition, which is indirectly steering the ongoing protest over the three farm legislations passed by Parliament, has been behaving oblivious to the fact that the same party had vociferously advocated the same bills when they had been in power.
In fact, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal, while speaking in support of the legislations then introduced by the UPA government, had gone to the extent of making the comment: “The Opposition now has to decide whether they are with the farmers or with the middlemen?”
However, the same grand old party, now heavily contradicting its previous position, is opposing the farm legislations in an absolutely undemocratic manner. The party’s national leaders and especially those from Punjab have conveniently refrained from answering when asked about their party manifesto which had promised the same bills to be passed in a constitutional manner.
At a time when the Government of India has exhibited its willingness for dialogue, the rigid refusal to navigate through the problems and find a common consensus is unfortunate and undemocratic. Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took charge of his office, the government has been successfully delivering on the most complex issues efficiently and constitutionally. A classic example is the establishment of GST, which had commenced much earlier, but brought a financial revolution in the country by the government under the leadership of PM Modi. However, Opposition parties have continued to oppose it merely for the sake of opposing.
The current scenario with regard to the protest against the farm laws also displays traces of the politics of those currently occupying the Opposition benches in the Parliament. The protesting farmers from Punjab and Haryana are being misinformed by the leaders of the Opposition and misled by those who want to keep them in the clutches of the middlemen lobby and keep the agriculture sector in the country away from a majorly positive transformation.
With the opening of the market for farmers, they will be set free to operate according to their will instead of being managed by middlemen or brokers. With the new laws in place, the farmers can sell their produce anywhere, be it at home, on the farm or in the village market. In the past, when farmers sold their goods in the market premises, it was mandatory for them to pay a variety of cess in the market. The cess ranged from 2% to 8% in some places. However, with the new laws, this cess could be avoided as the sale of farm produce by the farmer will not be restricted to the regulated markets.
These new farm legislations will create healthy competition in the market in a way which will be extremely beneficial to the farmers as they will be the deciding force regarding the sale of their own farm produce. And we must not forget that this is exactly what the UPA parties, which are now opposing the laws, had once advocated for.
Similarly, in the case of contract farming, the protesting farmers from Haryana and Punjab are being misguided by the statement that these farm laws are draconian in nature. However, they are not being informed that measures like the dispute redressal mechanism will ensure that farmers do not fall prey to any technical ambiguity created by traders. One of the major challenges for every farmer is that there is no remunerative assurance for his produce. However, with contract farming, there will be predictability of their eventual output and farmers will be able to design their processes accordingly. While doing so, they will also be assured that their land will remain in their safe possession, regardless of anything. Unfortunately, the Opposition is misguiding the farmers about these historic reforms, at the cost of their welfare.
If all three legislations passed in Parliament were to be analysed chronologically, it would become clear that a major revolution in the agriculture sector is waiting at our doorstep, a boon for all involved in the agriculture economy, directly or indirectly. It won›t even be wrong to comment that India is set to witness the second Green Revolution thanks to these legislations. These legislations will be a driving force in ensuring that India achieves its target of becoming a $5 trillion economy, a target envisaged by PM Modi.
The Opposition’s attempt to be in the news for all the wrong reasons, at the cost of national development, reflects their ideology of working towards nothing but self-benefit. The motto of “Nation First” seems to be of no significance to the UPA. Which is why it is saddening to see the party which was once led by great nationalist stalwarts like former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, who coined the term «Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan», has now reached a new low by politicising the new farm legislations. Due to such behaviour, the Congress and other UPA parties are bound to be remembered for nothing but destructive criticism.
The author is media head, BJP Maharashtra. The views expressed are personal.
These new farm legislations will create healthy competition in the market in a way which will be extremely beneficial to the farmers as they will be the deciding force regarding the sale of their own farm produce. And we must not forget that this is exactly what the UPA parties, which are now opposing the laws, had once advocated for.