Akhilesh Yadav claims 'BJP will withdraw farm laws before UP polls, implement them later'

On Saturday, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav warned that BJP might hatch a conspiracy pertaining to the farm laws ahead of the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election. Referring to the Centre's demonetisation move in November 2016 which was perceived to have played a key role in the saffron party's 2017 election win, Yadav said, "BJP can hatch any conspiracy. It is possible that they might withdraw the three black farm laws before the election and implement them on farmer again".

Lashing out at the BJP government's approach towards the protesting farmers, the former UP CM remarked, "He (Lal Bahadur Shastri) had given the slogan- Jay Jawan, Jay Kisan. Today the soldier is unhappy and the farmer is also under stress. The farmer who gives us clothes, who feeds us has never been insulted like this in any country. The people in the government are insulting farmers. They have been called terrorists". 

The impasse over farm laws

The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020 aims at freeing the farmers from the constraints of the state Agriculture Produce Market Committees whereby they would be able to sell their produce anywhere. Meanwhile, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 protects and empowers farmers to engage with processors, wholesalers, large retailers, exporters for farm services. The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 specifies that the supply of foodstuffs including cereals, pulses, potatoes, edible oilseeds, and oils shall be regulated only under exceptional circumstances.

At present, the talks between the Union government and the farmers' unions over the three farm laws have come to a standstill. While the Supreme Court has stayed the implementation of the farm laws, a committee appointed by the apex court submitted its report pertaining to the legislation in a sealed cover on March 19. So far, 6 states- Punjab, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, West Bengal and Delhi have passed a resolution in their respective assemblies demanding the withdrawal of the farm laws.

Slamming the hypocrisy of the opposition over the far reforms in a recent interview with Open Magazine, PM Modi opined, "There are political parties which will grandiosely make promises before elections, even put them in their manifestos. Yet, when the time comes to deliver on the same promises, these same parties and people do a complete U-turn and worse, spread the most malicious kind of misinformation on the promises they themselves had made. If you look at those who are opposing the pro-farmer reforms today, you will see the real meaning of intellectual dishonesty and rajneetik dhokhadhadi."