Withdraw 'Bharat Bandh' call, we are listening: Pralhad Joshi tells farmers

'We have said it in the parliament and we are saying to the farmers during the negotiation meetings that all their demands will be met,' Joshi said

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi urged the protesting farmers to withdraw their ‘Bharat Bandh’ call and protests as the Union government is ready to discuss and address all the friction points of the farmers.

Speaking to mediapersons here on Sunday, he said Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is ready to allay all doubts that the farmers have regarding the three farm Acts introduced by the government. “We have said it in the parliament and we are saying to the farmers during the negotiation meetings that all their demands will be met. There is no need for the farmers to stage a protest,” he said.

However, when asked about the specific demands of farmers regarding the rollback of the three Acts, he said the issue will be discussed again by Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar in the December 9 meeting.

Congress backing protests against railway line doubling

Pralhad Joshi also charged that the protests against the doubling of railway lines in Goa is backed by the Congress.

“When Congress was in power, they wanted the project to be implemented. However, now they are opposing the development work,” he said, and added that for the economy of every state to grow they need power, and coal is one of the forms of energy. The railway line is needed to transport coal, he said.

Joshi said the union government will be soon coming up policies to help the mining of minerals. “Natural resources are vital for revival of the economy and mining will be allowed only after getting environment and NGT clearance,” he said, and added that it would be the state government’s responsibility to moderate mining activities. He said mining of minerals will enhance the revenue of the state.