Farm laws repeal: Cong says country understands everything, ‘suit-boot’ govt doesn’t

PTI, Nov 21, 2021, 9:00 AM IST

New Delhi: Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress on Saturday said he could not explain the benefits of steps such as farm laws, demonetization, and CAA, but the country understands everything.

The party’s attack on the prime minister came a day after Modi, in an address to the nation, announced the government’s decision to repeal the three farm laws and also apologized to the people over his government not being able to ”convince” a section of farmers about the clear benefits of the legislations.

Calling the prime minister ”bhashan-jeevi”, Congress’ chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said Modi could not explain the benefits of the Land Acquisition Ordinance and those of demonetization to economists and countrymen.

In a series of tweets in Hindi, Surjewala said the prime minister could not explain the benefits of GST to traders and shopkeepers, and the benefits of CAA to minorities.

The prime minister could not explain to the middle class-farmers-poor the benefits of excise duty on petrol and diesel, he said, adding Modi also could not explain the benefits of Rs 1,000 gas cylinder to housewives and of ”Make in India” to industrialists and investors.

He also ”could not explain the benefits of Black Farm Laws to the farmers”, Surjewala said.

”The country understands everything, the suit-boot government doesn’t,” he said.

Many farmers are encamped at Delhi’s borders since November 2020 with a demand that the 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 be rolled back and a new law enacted to guarantee the MSP on crops.

The Centre, which held several rounds of talks with the agitating unions, had maintained that the laws were pro-farmer, while the protesters claimed that they would be left at the mercy of corporations because of the legislations.