P Chidambaram slams Centre: It is treating protesting farmers as enemies

Criticising the Centre over its stand on the ongoing farmer protest, Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday said that the reward to the farm sector for growing at 3.9 per cent in a recession year is to treat the protesting farmers as if they are enemies of the state.

"The reward to the farm sector for growing at 3.9 per cent in a recession year is to treat the protesting farmers as if they were enemies of the state," Chidambaram tweeted.

He alleged that the Prime Minister travel from Kerala to Assam but do not have time to travel 20 km to meet farmers.

"The PM travels from Kerala to Assam but does not have the time or inclination to travel 20 km to meet the farmers on the border of Delhi," he alleged.

He further claimed that only 6 per cent of the farmers are able to sell at minimum support price (MSP).

"Yet he will claim that he has doubled the farmers' income. He will also claim that all farmers get MSP when the truth is only 6 per cent of farmers are able to sell at MSP," he added.

Earlier, on Monday Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that the three new farm laws passed by the Central government are designed to destroy the agriculture business and hand it over to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "friends".

Meanwhile, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the government has still left its door open for discussions with the farmers regarding the three new farm laws.

Since November 26 last year, farmers have been protesting on the different borders of the national capital, against the three newly enacted farm laws: 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.

(ANI)

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