Centre to bring farm laws back after Assembly polls: Congress

Congress appealed to voters in the 5 states going to polls in the next couple of months to 'teach BJP a lesson'

Congress on Saturday charged the Narendra Modi government of conspiring to bring back the now repealed contentious farm laws through backdoors after the Assembly elections to five states, citing remarks by Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar that the government has just taken a step backwards but in future it will take steps forward.

The party appealed to voters in the five states going to polls in the next couple of months to “teach the BJP a lesson by decisively defeating them” in the elections to stop the “diabolical conspiracy” to bring back the contentious laws.

The Congress attack came as Tomar told a gathering in Maharashtra on Friday that the repealed laws were the most progressive one in the past 75 years, some farmer unions could not digest it and it would take steps in the future though the government has taken a step backwards.

Read more: Farm laws repeal historic, will still tell farmers about its benefits: Narendra Singh Tomar

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted, "The Agriculture Minister has insulted the apology by the Prime Minister (to farmers). This is highly condemnable. If the anti-farmer steps are taken again, then the farmers will again hold satyagraha. Arrogance and ego were defeated earlier, will defeat once again."

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the “concerted conspiracy to bring back the farm laws “now stands exposed” through Tomar’s statement. He claimed that the government repealed the three “black” laws in the recently concluded Winter Session as the BJP feared that it would be defeated if the laws continue to be in the statues.

The Prime Minister apologised and announced the decision to repeal the laws and it happened after over 380 days of Gandhian, peaceful protest by farmers at the Delhi borders and sacrifices of over 700 farmers who died, he said.

“Then itself we had suspected that the intent of the Prime Minister, the BJP and the RSS were a mere election stunt in view of the upcoming polls,” he said.

Referring to statements made by Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra and Unnao MP Sakshi Maharaj in November that the farm laws will make a return and with his statement now, Surjewala alleged that the Agriculture Minister has now confirmed the conspiracy aimed at helping the crony capitalist friends of the BJP.

Wondering how the Minister can call the repealed laws as progressive, he said the three laws were the “most regressive” legislations India had since independence and that it was an insult to the 62 crore farmers who were united in their fight against it.

“When he says that the government has taken one step backwards and it will take forward steps in future, he has made it clear that they will bring back the laws against which the farmers fought,” he said.

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