Take conciliatory measures to end impasse on farm laws: Deve Gowda

Ravi S Singh

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 4

Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda on Thursday suggested to Union government a conciliatory measure to end the impasse on the three farm laws by opening talks with farmers and also pitched for Members in the House taking part in them with constructive inputs.

Talking part in a discussion on the Motion of Thanks on President’s Address, Gowda also endorsed progressive measures for farmers taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last seven years, since 2014.

He demanded punitive action against the “miscreants” and “anti-social” elements who indulged in violence, showed disrespect to national flag on Republic Day which has defamed the farmers.

“All political parties have condemned the incidents,” Gowda said, and stressed that the perpetrators were not farmers.

Appreciating measure taken by Modi to help farmers, he said they are many. “I am not going to dispute on that. The measures have started showing results,” Gowda said.

He said that when the farmers of Punjab and Haryana were agitating Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar held talks with them and gave assurance to amend the laws to take care of their concerns. But the farmers have laid condition for repeal of the laws which has led to the impasse.

“After the Republic Day incident the government has created barriers at the sites of farmers’ protests. This will not lead to solution of the problem.”

“There has to be a congenial atmosphere,” Gowda said, and added that being a farmer himself, and during the last leg of his life he wanted to see a peaceful and amicable solution to the issue.

He said the farm laws were passed without following proper proceedings as the House “was not in order”.

The farmers are not convinced with government’s rationale that the laws will remove middlemen from the system, and are apprehensive on MSP.

He stressed that 90 per cent of the farmers are in category of “small” and “marginal” whose land-holding ranging from a half to one acre.