Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to reconsider farm laws. He asked PM Modi to hold talks with farmers and informed him of the amendments made by the Rajasthan government in three laws to protect the interest of the farmers.
Ashok Gehlot said the GDP growth rate has been -7.5 per cent in the second quarter of 2020-21, while the agriculture sector has increased by 3.4 per cent. He said farmers are making a great contribution to the economy and their interests should be kept in mind. They should not be rewarded with water cannons, lathi charges and tear gas shells.
In the letter, Gehlot wrote that the Central government brought these three laws without discussion with farmers and experts. The demand made by the Opposition parties in Parliament about sending the then Bills to the Select Committee was also ignored by the government.
He brought up the issue of Minimum Support Price (MSP) in the letter. He said there’s no mention of MSP in these laws, which has created fear and distrust among farmers. Implementing these laws will only make farmers dependent on big corporates and private players. As per the laws, private mandis will be created which will lead to the end of existing farm mandis that have been operating since long.
He said the Central government tried to take away the farmers right to hold peaceful protests against farm laws which is not justified. The government should talk to farmers and address their issues, he reiterated.