Farmer union from Baghpat meets Tomar, urges not to repeal new laws

NEW DELHI:Members of Kisan Mazdoor Sangh, a farmer union from Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh, on Wednesday met Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and gave a letter in support of farm laws. Tomar said after the meeting that the farmers urged him not to succumb to any pressure on the farm laws.

“Farmers from Baghpat have given me a letter in support of Centre’s Farm Laws. They have told me that the government should not buckle under any pressure to make amendments to farm bills,” the minister said.

In a tweet, he said that the delegation of farmers told him that the agriculture reform laws are in the interest of farmers and should not be withdrawn. He said they told him that the laws have come following demands by farmers.

Tomar also targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who met the President earlier today and submitted a memorandum containing two crore signatures seeking his intervention for the repeal of farm laws.

“Whatever Rahul Gandhi says, even Congress doesn’t take it seriously. Today when he went to register his protest with President with signatures, these farmers told me that no one from Congress came to them to get their signature,” the Agriculture Minister said.

He said if Rahul Gandhi was so worried, he could have done something for farmers when Congress was in power. “The character of Congress has always been anti-farmer,” Tomar added.

Farmers have been protesting on the borders of Delhi since November 26 against three farm laws enacted recently by the government.

They have been protesting against the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

Farmer unions on Wednesday wrote a letter to the government urging it not to repeat the “meaningless amendments” which they had earlier rejected and to come up with a concrete proposal in writing.