Haryana CM Khattar asks farmers to trust PM Modi; assures farm laws will be repealed

Reacting to Central Government's decision to repeal three agrarian laws, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar asserted that the farmers need not worry. Taking to Twitter, CM Khattar urged people to have faith and wrote that if the Prime Minister has said that the three farm laws will be repealed, then it will be repealed. While speaking to ANI, CM Khattar said “Farmers should not worry. If PM has announced that the three farm laws will be withdrawn then indeed, it'll happen. Even Opposition leader Hooda Ji has asked people to have faith. There is nothing not to trust. If there is distrust, then it's sad.”

Meanwhile, Haryana Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala, while speaking to ANI, said “Farmers agitated for over 350 days. Keeping that in mind, the Centre took the decision today. We welcome it. I would want that in the future course also, more consultation should be done with the farming community & how the better benefit can be given to farmers.” He further added, “PM has himself said that he could not let the benefits be understood by the farmers. I think now it's high time that we make the farmers understand the benefits and reintroduce in a better way.”

Announcing the repealing of the contentious agrarian laws, PM Modi said on Friday, “Despite our best efforts, we could not convince some farmers. Even though only a section of farmers was opposing it, this was important for us nevertheless. The agricultural economists and progressive farmers tried a lot to explain the benefits of the farm laws. We tried convincing them with an open mind through various mediums- personal as well as collective. The talks were continuously going on. We didn't leave any stone unturned in listening to the arguments of farmers. The government was ready to amend the provisions of the laws to which they objected. We also proposed to suspend these laws for two years."

What are the agrarian laws?

The three farm laws are -- The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act provides for setting up a mechanism allowing the farmers to sell their farm produces outside the Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs). Any licence-holder trader can buy the produce from the farmers at mutually agreed prices. This trade of farm produces will be free of mandi tax imposed by the state governments. The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act allows farmers to do contract farming and market their produces freely. The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act is an amendment to the existing Essential Commodities Act.

Image: PTI