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In response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s allegations of Opposition parties politicising the farmers’ protest, eleven political parties put out a joint statement on Thursday, 24 December, condemning the PM’s claims as ‘baseless’, ‘travesty of truth’ and have asked the Centre to repeal the farm laws and hold ‘discussions on agrarian reforms.’
The joint statement has come from leaders of Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Samajwadi Party (SP), Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPI(M), Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) CPI(ML), All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP).
In the joint statement, the political party leaders have stated that they are ‘registering their protest against baseless allegations made by the PM’ that the Opposition is politicising the movement and ‘lying’ to the farmers.
The Opposition has stated that they are registering their solidarity with the farmers, who have asked the Centre to repeal the law which, according to the statement, ‘many’ opposition parties in Parliament were against, and was passed without ‘proper considerations’ or ‘without discussions’.
They allege that ‘MPs who sought a vote were suspended’. The parties claim that over 500 farmer organisations under ‘Samyukt Kisan Morcha’ have opposed the agriculture law.
The party has called out the alleged ‘big lies’ they have been accused of spreading about Minimum Security Price in saying, “The PM claims implementing the Swaminathan Commission Report in this regard. This Report had recommended an MSP of C2+50 percent, while this government, at best, implements A2+50 per cent. In fact, this government told the Supreme Court its inability to implement C2+50 per cent MSP. Who is spreading untruths?” said the report.
The Opposition leaders, whilst tackling allegations that have been put on them by the saffron party, such as “shooting from the shoulders of farmers to regain lost political ground” have stated that they cannot ignore the ‘distress’ of the farmers due to growing debt and the increase in farmer suicides despite the Centre’s claim of ‘improving farmers’ prosperity by implementing a higher MSP’.
The Opposition parties insist that the Centre must repeal the agriculture laws along with the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2020. They say this should be followed with ‘discussions on agrarian reforms’ by the Centre with farmers and stakeholders. They have recommended a new enactment by the Parliament on the basis of the consultations by conveying a ‘special or joint session’.
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