Prakash Javadekar on Farm law protests: Farmers across India welcome farm laws, Opposition will lose

Farmers across the country have welcomed the laws passed in the Parliament and the Opposition will eventually be defeated as the reason behind their protest is purely political, said Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Sunday.

Speaking at a press conference here, Javadekar said that now there are no more cases of protests happening across the country over the reforms, except Punjab, adding that in the northern state it is happening because of the Congress government holding power there.

"Where are protests happening in India other than in Punjab? That too is happening because of their government otherwise it has ended everywhere. In reality, farmers have welcomed the farm Bills," Javadekar said.

"PM Modi has a bigger thought for the nation. Due to GST we got One nation, One tax, with farm Bills we'll get One nation, One market, National Testing will give us One nation, One exam and we have announced One nation, One ration card too," he added.

These three reforms were brought to ensure that the farmers' income increases, he added. Stating that despite Congress and the rest of the Oppositions' claims, MSP was still being provided and that too at an increased rate by the government in the paddy purchase and the APMCs were still functioning till date.

"The issue is that 60 percent of the country's population is engaged in agriculture. Their contribution to GDP is just 10-15 percent, the issue is to increase it. It will increase only when new technology, new investment, and new types of seeds, fertilizers are used for it," Javadekar said.

He added that the e-Mandis has proven to be a huge success with "transaction worth Rs one lakh crore happening from them" and said that the government will help 10,000 farmers' producers association in the days ahead.

"The farmer should be given justice, the freedom to decide the sale price of their produce. This is the aim. That is why I believe the Opposition will fail because the truth always wins in the end and it is with us," Javadekar said.

The Parliament has recently passed the three Bills which have come into effect from September 27 after President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent.

Earlier, Rajya Sabha member of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Manoj Jha, Congress MP from Kerala TN Prathapan and Tiruchi Siva, MP from Tamil Nadu from Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party had moved the Supreme Court against the Farmers Acts.

(ANI)

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