NEW DELHI: Sharpening his attack on Narendra Modi government, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said that the repealing of the three farm laws without a debate shows that the government is “terrified” of having a discussion with the contending parties and knows that it has done something wrong.
After the Parliament passed ‘The Farm Laws Repeal Bill’ to rescind the three contentious agri laws against which farmers have been protesting for over a year, Rahul Gandhi addressed reporters outside the Parliament and said that he had predicted that the government will have to take back the farm laws right in the beginning as he could read that the “power of three-four crony capitalists cannot withstand the strength of farmers and labourers”.
He said that the government repealing the three farm laws is a victory of the farmers and also of the country.
“What is unfortunate is the way the bills have been repealed — without any discussion, without any conversation. We wanted to have a discussion about the forces behind these bills because these bills do not just reflect the view of the Prime Minister, they reflect the forces behind the Prime Minister,” he said.
“We also wanted to discuss the MSP (issue), the Lakhimpur Kheri incident and the 700 farmers who died in this agitation. Unfortunately that discussion has not been allowed,” the former Congress chief said, adding, “It is a reflection of the fact that this government is terrified of having these discussions and wants to hide. What is the point of the Parliament if discussions are not allowed?”
Targeting Modi, Gandhi said: “The Prime Minister has accepted that the farmers died because of his decision. So, compensation must be given.” His remarks came after the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha passed the Bill to repeal the three farm laws on the first day of Winter Session of the Parliament.
The Lok Sabha passed the Bill within four minutes via voice vote.
The bills were passed amid sloganeering by Opposition leaders in both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha. The Opposition MPs were demanding a discussion on the universally accepted repeal bill, but the government said that there was no need for talks.
Also Watch: One Year of Farmers’ Protest: Repealing 3 Laws Not Enough, Tikait Adamant On MSP, Compensation