Those opposing new farm laws enemies of farming community: Jitendra Singh

The new farm reform laws give farmers the flexibility of choosing the price of their produce, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said and accused the Congress of being "enemies of the farming community"

The new farm reform laws give farmers the flexibility of choosing the price of their produce, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Monday and accused the Congress and others opposing the new legislations "enemies of the farming community and supporters of the exploiters".

The Congress and several other opposition parties have been protesting the three farm sector laws enacted by the Narendra Modi government, alleging these are "anti-farmer measures" and will "destroy" the agriculture sector.

The government has, however, asserted the new laws will free farmers from the clutches of middleman and allow them to sell their produce anywhere they want at a remunerative price.

Singh alleged that the irony is that those masquerading as supporters of farmers by protesting the Modi government's reforms are hand-in-glove with those who have over the years held farmers their captive by picking up their produce at very low rates and selling those in the market at a high price.

"The sad outcome of this was that while these middlemen and market manipulators made a fortune out of it and continued to flourish for generations together, the farmer became poorer and poorer," said Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel.

The farmers have been treated with ruthlessness and extreme insensitivity which led to many of them end their lives, the Union minister said.

Continuing with his outreach programmes with farmers and public representatives at village, panchayat and block levels, he interacted with the farmers, village representatives and local activists in Basantgarh and Chowki blocks of Tehsil Ramnagar in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.

"With the Modi government having placed specific safeguard and security provisions in place, the farmers will have a window of relief and reprieve in difficult situations," Singh said.

Describing the Congress and others opposing the new agriculture legislation as "enemies of the farming community and supporters of the exploiters", he said, "The farm reforms introduced by Prime Minister Modi allow farmers liberty to choose the crop cost and give them the freedom to have more buyers and flexibility in choosing the price at which they sell their produce, while at the same time continuing with the established MSP system,"

Going by the record of the last six years, Singh reiterated that there can be no room to cast any doubts on the intention of the Modi government.