New Delhi, Feb 10 A minister in the Narendra Modi government says that he will retire from politics in case even one inch of land is snatched from farmers once the new farm laws are implemented.
Minister of state for agriculture and farmers welfare Kailash Choudhary says a canard is being spread that farmers will lose land owing to contract farming but the truth is that the law doesn't have any mention of land.
Responding to a question asked in Parliament Choudhary said, "The farm laws just mention that the contract will be on the farm produce. So, there is no question of a land contract anywhere."
On Tuesday, Choudhary had said during the debate on the motion on the President's Address: "I'll retire from politics even if one inch of land is snatched from farmers once the new farm laws are implemented."
Choudhary further said: "Under the Modi government, around 22.5 crore people have got the social health card. Under the PM Fasal Bima Yojana, 8 crore people have got the benefit of insurance. As many as 10.45 crore people have benefited under the PM-Kisan scheme. A government that brings in so many farmer-friendly schemes cannot be anti-farmer."
He further said: "The new farm laws get freedom from middlemen for farmers. Now, they can sell their produce anywhere, at the prices they desire on their own terms."
Choudhary said earlier, local farm mandis were in the grip of middle-men and the farm mafia. "But now agricultural produce, like other industrial products, will join the one-nation-one-market platform. This will attract private investment in agriculture and make the farm economy stronger and raise the contribution of the sector to the nation's GDP."
( With inputs from IANS )
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