Baramati: The central government should know the seriousness of the farmers' movement. Seeing the uneasiness of the farmers, the senior ministers in the central government should have paid attention to this. This opinion was expressed by NCP President Sharad Pawar today. He was speaking in Baramati.
This time, Sharad Pawar also targeted Piyush Goyal. "Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, who discusses farmers, is not an agriculture expert. Goyal is my best friend. However, my knowledge was enhanced when I came to know that he is also an agriculture expert," said Sharad Pawar in a satirical way.
Pawar was speaking to the media after a function in Baramati. He further said that at a time when farmers in four to five states are protesting on the streets in the cold weather, the government should be sensitive. Senior ministers like Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari should have discussions with farmers, said Pawar.
"Discussions on the new agriculture law started in 2003 when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister. Then in 2004, when I was the Union Agriculture Minister, a committee of Agriculture Ministers from nine states was appointed under the chairmanship of the then Maharashtra agriculture Minister Harshvardhan Patil to study and draft the Agriculture Act. After the draft was prepared, the draft was sent to the states for consideration by the states. However, after the new government came to power in 2014, a law was drafted, brought to Parliament and passed after an uproar. It needs discussion while making any law," said Pawar.
"As per the Constitution, the concerned states have the right to make decisions regarding agriculture. Therefore, the central government should have spoken to the states once before implementing the Agriculture Act in the whole country. While this is a matter for the states, the Center should have taken the states into confidence. However, my complaint is that the Modi government made this law without taking states into confidence. Agriculture needs to be reformed wherever possible," said Pawar.
Pawar also said that some grievances can be resolved through discussion.
Read: Modi govt should not commit the sin of destabilizing Punjab again: Sharad Pawar
