New Delhi: NCP supremo and former Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar accused Tuesday the Centre of bulldozing three new farm laws. Sharad Pawar said that the laws have been implemented without consulting the states. He asserted that agriculture cannot be run ‘sitting in Delhi’ as it involves farmers toiling in distant villages.
Farmers’ protest on Delhi borders against these laws has entered its second month. Five rounds of talks so far have failed to resolve the crisis. Pawar also raised questions about the composition of the three-member ministerial group negotiating with the farmers unions. He said the ruling party should have put forward leaders with ‘in-depth’ understanding of agriculture and farmers’ issues.
The former Union Minister said the government needs to take the protests seriously. He also said it was ‘unfair’ on the part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to blame opposition parties for the agitation by farmers.
Current Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has claimed that Pawar as the then agriculture minister during the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government also wanted farm reforms. However, he failed to do so due to political pressure. The NCP leader asserted he certainly wanted to bring some reforms in the sector. However, ‘not in the way” BJP government has done’.
Also read: Farmers unions ready to attend talks, but want discussion on repeal of farm laws
Pawar said he consulted all state governments before initiating the reforms. He didn’t move forward until all their reservations were resolved.
“I and Manmohan Singh also wanted to bring some reforms in the agriculture sector. But not in the same way as the current dispensation did. That time the Agriculture Ministry held long deliberations on the proposed reforms with agriculture ministers of all states and experts of the sector,” Pawar informed.
“The ministers of some states had some strong reservations about the reforms. So before taking a final decision, the Agriculture Ministry at that time again wrote to state governments seeking their opinion,” he added.
Pawar has served as Union Agriculture Minister twice. He said agriculture is a rural phenomenon and it requires consultation with states.
“Agriculture can’t be run by sitting in Delhi as it involves hard-working farmers in villages. A bigger responsibility for this subject lies with state governments. So, when a majority of agriculture ministers had some reservations, it was the duty of the central government and mine to take them in confidence and resolve their issues before moving ahead,” informed Pawar.
In comparison, Pawar alleged that the Centre did not consult with states this time. It also did not call any meeting with state agriculture ministers before preparing these bills. He said the government has passed farm bills on the basis of their own strength in Parliament. That is the main reason why all the problems started. “In politics and democracy, dialogue should take place,” Pawar asserted.
“How can a government say in a democracy that it won’t listen or it won’t change its line? In a way, the government bulldozed these three bills. If the Centre had consulted state governments and taken them in confidence, then such a situation wouldn’t have arisen,” Pawar pointed out.
Pawar said farmers are worried that these laws would end the MSP procurement system. So the government needs to do something to ‘address such worries’.
“And for the talks, they should have put those leaders in the front from BJP who understand the agriculture sector better. If those who have an in-depth understanding of agriculture, farmers’ issues and agri-economy were negotiating with farmers, they might have found a way to resolve this issue. I don’t want to name anyone… But then there are those who don’t understand the sector that well,” Pawar stated.
