Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar’s video statement is contrary to the idea of the contentious farm laws.
Chandigarh:
The Haryana government has to care about the farmers of Haryana and “don’t have to worry about other states”, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said earlier this month, refusing to procure crops from other states. Mr Khattar’s video statement, being widely shared on social media, is contrary to the idea of the contentious farm laws which promise barrier-free trade at markets and prices of the farmer’s choice.
The Chief Minister said this on September 17 while praising the farm laws.
“We will ensure that the maize and bajra of Haryana farmers are completely bought. We won’t let it happen that farmers from other states will benefit by selling it in our state. We have to care about the farmers of our state. We don’t have to worry about other states,” he said.
He also accused Congress of politicising the issue. The opposition has criticised the manner in which the three key farm bills were passed in parliament and alleged that the bills were pushed through voice vote in violation of the rules.
The Haryana Chief Minister said Congress-ruled states like Punjab and Rajasthan are not procuring crops like maize and bajra on the minimum support price(MSP), forcing farmers to sell their produce in Haryana.
“The Congress is making it political. But I have a question for them. Why are their governments in Punjab and Rajasthan not doing this (procure maize and bajra)? We will not procure maize and bajra from other states because it’s us who incur the losses. This is the share of the farmers of Haryana,” he said.
On Monday, around fifty farmers from Uttar Pradesh were stopped from entering neighbouring Haryana’s Karnal district to sell their paddy crop at government-run mandis (wholesale markets), despite the controversial farm bills – which promise barrier-free trade at markets and prices of the farmer’s choice – having been signed into law on Sunday night.
Huge farmers’ protests have been held over the laws, especially in Punjab and Haryana, states that are dubbed the grain bowl of the country.
The issue of the minimum price at which the government buys food grains, is at the core of widespread protests against the farm law, with some farmers believing the price – which acts as a guarantee of return on their hard work – has been abolished by the centre and that they will now be left to deal with powerful corporates who will insist on paying lower rates.
