Farmers are the ultimate master and nobody can overrule them – this was the crux of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s hour-long speech (HIGHLIGHTS) delivered via video-conferencing at the Kisan Kalyan Sammelan in Madhya Pradesh on Friday. While the speech was addressed to the farmers in Madhya Pradesh, it was clear that PM Modi’s message was for those camping at the Delhi borders for over 20 days now. From clearing the air on Minimum Support Price to talking about the APMC Mandis, PM Modi addressed the core issues extensively. During his speech, the Prime Minister also targeted previous governments for not paying attention to farmers’ issues and politicising the protest for their own gains.
Here are the major takeaways of PM Modi’s latest outreach to farmers:
MSP will continue: At the heart of the farmers’ protest is the issue of the ‘Minimum Support Price’. The farm laws have been in force since last six months and still, the Centre did pay the MSP to the farmers. The Prime Minister said that if his government wanted to remove MSP from farm reforms, the official wouldn’t have paid the MSP in first place. The fact that the MSP continues to this date shows the intent of the government. He emphatically said that the MSP is here to stay and nobody should think otherwise.
APMC Mandis: Another key concern is the APMC Mandis. The Prime Minister said that the APMC Mandis will not be abolished. He said that some people are spreading rumours that the farm reforms will lead to shutting down of the APMC Mandis. PM Modi said that the APMC Mandis will continue to function just like old times. He said that these Mandis are outside the purview of the farm reforms. He said that the new laws are just providing another option for farmers to sell their produce. He said that the farm laws are there to modernise these APMC Mandis and not shut them down.
Better procurement price paid: Citing an example of wheat procurement, PM Modi said that his government has paid more to farmers. According to the Prime Minister, earlier, around Rs 1,000 were paid for wheat per quintal. Whereas now, his government has paid as much as Rs 1,900 per quintal for wheat procurement. He said that his government has paid a better price and procured more produce than previous records.
Swaminathan Report: In a blazing attack against the Opposition, the Prime Minister said that the Congress didn’t implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan report. He said that his government dared to go ahead with the Swaminathan Report’s recommendation.
Farmers must not be misled: The Prime Minister said that the Opposition, when in power, didn’t do anything for the farmers and is now misleading them. He said that the previous manifestos of every political party show the very point that his government has finally introduced as laws. Unnecessary confusion is being created to keep the farmers in the darkness, he said.
The Prime Minister’s outreach, however, appears to have had little impact on the protesting farmers at the Delhi borders. According to latest TV reports, some farmers said that if PM wanted to talk to them, he should have done it here in Delhi directly, rather addressing other via video-conferencing. They also said that if the intent of the government was so pure, there was no need to bring the recently enacted laws at all.