DNA Special: Congress opposing the very reforms it had proposed in agriculture sector

For 70 years now, we have been trying to find the answer to the question as to why we have to pay Rs 100  for a kilo of onion that a farmers sells for Rs 5. Who gets the lion's share? Finally, albeit belatedly, this debate has begun in our Parliament.

The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill 2020, Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill have been passed in Lok Sabha on Thursday. These Bills will now be tabled in the Upper House.

One of the biggest promises that Prime Minister Narendra Modi made after coming to power was to double the income of farmers by 2022. In view of the condition of cultivation in the country, these targets seem impossible. But the Modi government is saying that if some of the old farming laws are changed, the income of the farmers can be doubled. For this, it is necessary to exempt farmers from selling their produce anywhere in the country. This is being called One Nation, One Market. That means a country single market.

When the Modi government started the work, the opposition has started opposing it. The opposition says it will ruin the farmers and the cultivation will be occupied by private companies. Not only the opposition, the BJP's most trusted ally Akali Dal in NDA is also opposed to these bills. Harsimrat Kaur Badal of Akali Dal resigned from the Union Cabinet on the issue on Thursday.

PM Modi on Friday defended the passage of three agriculture reform Bills in the Lok Sabha and asserted that that they will act as a protection shield for farmers and accused those opposing the measures of standing with middlemen and deceiving and lying to the farmers. "I congratulate the farmers of the country for agrarian reform Bills that have been passed in the Lok Sabha. These will help farmers to get rid of the middlemen who take large prices of their produce while delivering it to the customers. These Bills will act as a shield for the farmers.

"There are people who had ruled the country but are now attempting to confuse the farmers on this subject. They are spreading lies about these Bills. They are propagating that the benefit of MSP will not be given to the farmers by the government. It is also being said by them that the government will not buy paddy-wheat etc from farmers. This is a lie. Farmers of the country have to be careful of these people. They should be wary of those who ruled the country for decades and are now lying to them," the Prime Minister said.

"Our government is committed to providing fair prices to farmers through MSP. We have been doing this in the past and will continue to do so in the future. Also, the government procurement will continue just like before," the Prime Minister assured.

The Bills are facing a stiff opposition from the Congress and BJP's ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). Akali Dal's Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet on Thursday as her party faced heat from farmers in Punjab over its initial support to ally BJP's farm sector bills. 

The Congress on Thursday termed them as "anti-farmers" and alleged that the "brutal" bills will destroy the livelihood of the farming community. 

Addressing a press conference here at Vijay Chowk, outside Parliament, Congress leaders alleged that there is nothing in the bill that protects farmers` rights and improves their situation."Even the greatest autocratic ruler also behaves kindly on his birthday but Modi ji is such an arrogant ruler who made black law on his 70th birthday, taking away the livelihood of the peasants and agricultural workers. The country will not forgive the BJP leaders for this brutal attack on the farmers," Congress General Secretary, Randeep Singh Surjewala said.

Surjewala alleged that the bills are a "conspiracy to turn farmers into labourers in their own field."

"We are protesting with farmers and farmers unions against the bills. It is a conspiracy to remove Minimum Support Price (MSP). Agriculture Minister and Prime Minister does not have farming land. They do not have lands so they can not understand the farmers` pain. As per the agriculture census 2015-16, 86.2 farmers own less than two acres of land. How can he (farmers) sell his crops in other mandis? He (farmers) would want to sell his crops in the nearest mandis. They want to help capitalists and later these capitalists will fund them in elections," he added.

However, it is pertinent to mention that the Congress had promised in 2019 general election manifesto that after coming to power, it would abolish the Agricultural Produce Market Committee i.e. APMC Act so that the farmers could sell the crop anywhere at their own discretion. There will also be no restriction on farmers selling their produce directly to other states or other countries.

The Congress manifesto also said that the Essential Commodities Act of the year 1955... It has become outdated now. Now, there is no need for that kind of control. Therefore, the Congress will bring a new law which would enforce the essential goods law only in war-like situations.

Just before the Lok Sabha elections in 2014, the Congress government had announced the exit of fruits and vegetables from the APMC Act so that farmers could sell their produce wherever they want. The Congress also implemented it in its government states.

The Manmohan Singh government had formed a committee on Contract Farming, which gave its recommendations in 2013. It was believed that the farmer was caught in the trap of middlemen for not getting the flexibility to sell his crop anywhere and he did not get a fair price for the yield.