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Tag: Narendra Singh Tomar

  • RSS leader targets Union Minister Tomar over farmers’ stir against agri laws

    By PTI
    BHOPAL: In an apparent attack on Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar over the farmers’ protest against three farm laws, senior RSS leader Raghunandan Sharma has said the arrogance of power has gone to his head.

    Sharma, a former BJP Rajya Sabha member from Madhya Pradesh, in his Facebook post written two days back, also suggested to the minister that he should work towards strengthening nationalism.

    In his social media post that starts with the line, “Narendraji, you are part and parcel of the government”, Sharma said, “Your intention might be of helping the farmers, but if some people don’t want to be helped, what is the use of doing such good?,” “If someone wants to remain naked, what is the use of forcibly clothing him,” he said.

    “If you are harbouring a thought that you are reaping the fruits of your hard labour, it is your illusion,” the 73- year-old RSS leader said in the post.

    “…..Today arrogance of power has gone to your head. Why are you losing the mandate? We are endorsing all rotten policies of the Congress which is not in our interest.

    Leakage in drops of water from a pitcher empties it. So is with the mandate,” he said.

    “Employ all might to strengthen nationalism or else we have to regret. I think you might have read the indication to preserve the ideology,” he added.

    Sharma described how the (RSS’s) ideology developed with toil, sacrifice and devotion over a century for expanding its footprints, propagating service to the motherland, putting nationalism first and leading to the installation of a nationalist government at the Centre.

    “Thousands of nationalists have devoted their lives for today’s nationalist government,” he said.

  • Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar takes ‘khoon ki kheti’ jibe at Congress

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: As the opposition in Rajya Sabha called for withdrawal of farm laws, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday said that the government’s willingness to make amendments in the three legislations doesn’t mean there are flaws in them.

    He also took a dig at the Congress, accusing them of indulging in politics of ‘blood’ — the remark which was expunged later.

    Inside the House, speaking during Motion of Thanks on the President’s address, Tomar said that farmers from one particular state are misinformed about the laws and the agitation is being led by unions from Punjab.

    ​ALSO READ | Global personalities reiterate their support to farmers despite Centre censure

    “Government’s offer to make amendments in the laws does not mean there are any shortcomings in them. Farmer unions and opposition parties have failed to point out a single flaw in three new farm laws,” he said in the Upper House.

    Tomar said Congress was trying to politicise the issue. “Duniya janti hai pani se kheti hoti hai. Khoon se kheti sirf Congress he kar sakte hai, BJP khoon se kheti nahi kar sakti (the world knows water is required for farming. Only Congress can do farming using blood. BJP cannot do this),”  the minister said.

    Many opposition parties have appealed to the Centre to withdraw the three laws and not make it a prestige issue. They have also termed the laws as ‘kala kanoon’. 

    ALSO WATCH:

    “We are not standing on prestige. We have been asking what is kaala in this law and no one is forthcoming. We have been talking with farmer unions for a long time,” Tomar said.

    “They have our proposal and they are discussing it among themselves. We are expecting a reply from them soon, after which we will look into it and sit with them to find a solution.” 

    ​On the opposition and farmer unions allegations that the Centre did not consult anybody before bringing in the laws, he said that the Centre followed due procedure and consulted the states and farmers.

  • Centre held consultations with states, farmers before bringing farm laws: Agriculture Minister Tomar

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Centre followed “due procedure” before bringing the three new agri laws, and held consultations with states and farmers for facilitating barrier-free trade in farm produce to provide choice to the farming community, Parliament was informed on Friday.

    “Due procedure had been followed while formulating the Ordinances/ Bills,” Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

    K C Venugopal from Congress and Binoy Viswam from CPI had asked the government to share the pre-legislative consultations followed before bringing the three farm laws and also the number of individuals/organisations/unions consulted for the same.

    Citing reasons for “urgency” to promulgate the three Ordinances in June 2020, Tomar said due to disruption of markets and supply chains during the COVID-19 lockdown, there was “utmost need to allow free direct marketing outside the mandis to facilitate the farmers in selling their produce near to farm gate at remunerative prices.”

    “As COVID-19 situation may have a prolonged effect globally on demand side, hence the urgency for promulgation of…Ordinances, to provide a new facilitative framework to promote barrier free inter-state and intra-state trade to increase market accessibility for farmers to enhance their income,” he said.

    Further, the minister said the draft of the Ordinances had been circulated to various ministries, Niti Aayog, among others, for their comments.

    ALSO READ: Opposition parties in Rajya Sabha demand repeal of farm laws

    “State governments were also consulted through Video Conferencing (VC) on 21st May, 2020, which was attended by the officials of States/ UTs, to obtain feedback on new legal framework facilitating barrier free inter-State and intra-State trade in agriculture produce to provide choice to farmers,” he noted.

    In view of the COVID-19 situation, the government had also “proactively” undertaken many webinar interactions with farmers and other stakeholders on new farm laws during the period from June 5, 2020 to September 17, 2020, Tomar said.

    Based on the suggestions and feedback received from stakeholders such as farmer unions, the definition of “farmer’ has been amended in Para (b) of The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020 and Para 2(e) in case of The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, he added.

    Responding further to CPI leader’s query on the consultation process followed, Tomar said there has been continuous demand for reforming the agriculture marketing system in India to facilitate farmers in selling their produce for better price realisation, as has been suggested from time to time by various committees.

    “Government of India has been actively and intensively engaging with the states/Stakeholders for about two decades for reforms in agriculture marketing sector to provide accessible markets and barrier free trade facilitates for selling their produce at better price anytime anywhere,” he said.

    WATCH

    The government had promulgated three Ordinances on June 5, 2020 and subsequently enacted these into Acts on September 27 last year.

    The minister said the government has “proactively” undertaken efforts on series of extension activities through webinars, online conferences, workshops, teleconferencing, social media, print media, electronic media with the stakeholders on the three Ordinances and thereafter on the respective Acts.

    Responding to a separate query, Tomar asserted that these three new laws will benefit farmers.

    However, some of the farmers’ unions have been agitating against the newly enacted farm laws and their main demand has been repeal of these legislations, he said.

    He said the government has engaged itself actively and constantly with the agitating farmers’ unions and 11 rounds of negotiations were held with them to resolve the issues.

    During the various rounds of negotiations, the government has been requesting the agitating farmer unions to discuss the farm laws clause by clause in order to resolve their concerns on the clauses bothering them, he said.

    The government had further explained during the meetings the benefits, including legal validity pertaining to the recently enacted new farm laws.

    “However, farmers’ unions never agreed to discuss the farm laws excepting for demanding their repeal,” he added.

    Thousands of farmers, especially from Punjab, Haryana and parts of Uttar Pradesh, are camping at various Delhi borders seeking repeal of the three laws for over two months now.

  • Holding no informal talks with farmers, barricading is local admin issue: Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar Wednesday said the Centre is not holding any informal talk with protesting farmers and described putting up of more barricades and suspending internet in and around agitation sites as law and order issues related to local administrations.

    The last and 11th round of meeting between the government and 41 protesting unions, held on January 22, was inconclusive.

    The Centre had asked unions to reconsider the government’s proposal to suspend new farm laws for 18 months.

    Asked when the government will hold the next round of talks and if it was engaging with the unions informally, Tomar replied in the negative.

    “No. We will inform when formal talks will be held,” Tomar told PTI.

    When told that protesting unions demand that no formal talks with the government can be held until the police and the administration stop “harassing” them and release the detained farmers, the minister said, “They should talk to the Police Commissioner. I don’t want to comment on the law and order issue. That’s not my job.”

    Since the January 22 talks, there has been no meeting between the farmer leaders and the Centre to discuss the farm laws although the government reiterated that its offer stands and doors are open for discussion.

    On Tuesday, Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) — the umbrella body of farmers’ unions protesting the Central farm laws — had said that there can be no “formal” talks with the government until the “harassment” of different kinds against the farmers’ movement by the police and administration is “immediately stopped”.

    The SKM had also said no formal proposal for talks has been received by it.

    “Though no formal proposal for talks came from the government, we clearly state that the talks will be held only after unconditional release of farmers who are in illegal police custody,” SKM had said in a statement.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an all-party meeting on Saturday had said the government’s offer to suspend the farm laws for 18 months was still on the table and the agriculture minister was just a phone call away to take the talks forward.

    The sites of the farmer protest at Delhi’s borders have turned into fortresses with police beefing up security and putting up multi-layer barricades to stop the movement of vehicles.

    Concertina wires and metal spikes have also been put up to keep off people on foot.

    The strengthened security measures come after the violence during the Republic Day tractor parade by the farmers.

  • BJP appoints in-charges for poll-bound Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The BJP on Tuesday appointed Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar, G Kishan Reddy and Pralhad Joshi its assembly election in-charges for Assam, Tamil Nadu and Kerala respectively, the party said on Tuesday.

    The party added that Arjun Ram Meghwal has been appointed in-charge for the assembly polls in Puducherry. Union ministers Jitendra Singh and VK Singh will be co-incharges for the assembly polls in Assam and Tamil Nadu respectively, the statement added.

    The party said that Karnataka deputy chief minister CN Ashwathnarayan and Rajeev Chandrasekhar will be co-incharges for Kerala and Puducherry polls respectively. Assembly polls are slated in these states in April-May.

  • Government ready to discuss farmers issues inside and outside Parliament, says Union minister Tomar

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The government on Tuesday asserted in Lok Sabha that it was ready to discuss issues related to farmers both inside and outside Parliament amid vociferous protests by the Opposition which forced the House to adjourn twice, first for almost an hour and then for nearly two hours.

    Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said during Zero Hour, which began at 5 pm, that the Modi government is always committed to discuss the farmer’s issues.

    “Government is ready to discuss issues related to farmers inside and outside Parliament,” he said amid sloganeering by opposition members.

    Tomar’s reply came after Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury claimed that 170 farmers have died during the ongoing agitation against the three contentious farm laws.

    “Atrocities are being committed on farmers. Situation is similar to British rule,” he alleged.

    As opposition members, including from Congress, DMK, Trinamool Congress, SP and BSP, trooped near the well, Speaker Om Birla appealed to them to go back to their seats so that House can taken up normal business.

    “This House is for debate and discussions. Please go back to your seats,” he said.

    However, the unrelenting opposition continued their protests, leading to the Speaking announcing the second adjournment till 7 pm.

    Earlier, as soon as the House met at 4 pm, opposition members disrupted the Question Hour to press for repeal of the three “black” laws and raised slogans.

    Members from the Shiv Sena were seen raising slogans from the aisles.

    Former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal of the Shiromani Akali Dal was also seen holding a poster demanding repeal of the contentious agriculture legislations.

    The Speaker urged the members to return to their seats and follow the COVID-19 protocol.

    He said in the ongoing Question Hour, questions related to farmers were listed and members can raise their issues at that time.

    He also said during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address, members can raise these issues.

    But opposition members refused to relent forcing him to adjourn the proceedings around 4.10 pm.

    Several farmers unions have been staging protests at various border points of Delhi demanding repeal of the farm laws.

  • Amid stalemate over farm laws, Tomar says invisible force wants agitation to go on

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  As talks between the Centre and farmers’ union remained inconclusive even after eleven round of discussions, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Sunday said that the protesters are only pressing for repealing of the laws without even analysing the pros and cons. 

    “The farmer unions only talk about the farm laws’ withdrawal…That is why the discussions so far did not bear any fruit. There is an invisible force that does not want this agitation to end. I can’t see it but I feel there is a force that stresses not ending the agitation and ends up derailing our negotiations,” he told a TV channel.

    The minister said that the tune of the farmers’ union always changes the day after our negotiations.

    “I don’t know what forces pressurise them. The Centre is sympathetic towards farmers and respects unions and hence laws were brought in to increase the income of farmers,” the agriculture minister asserted.

    On the Centre’s offer to put the farm laws on hold for 12-18 months, Tomar said, “We tried to understand their issues, analysed them, and sent the farmers a proposal. They should not have rejected the Centre’s proposal on the farm laws. We could have moved forward had they accepted the proposal.”

    “Farm laws were passed under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi and with the farm laws, the government had attempted to make several changes in the agricultural sector for the benefit of the farmers. The Centre is completely sensitive towards the farmers and has taken several steps forward to hold talks with them to resolve the issues,” he added.

    On whether the Centre is running out of patience with agitating farmers, the minister said, “I am also a farmer. We haven’t felt the need to be angry. I request them to sacrifice their desire to take out a tractor rally on Republic Day because in a democracy, unions have a right to agitate but my request is that if they decide to go ahead with it on January 26, I am sure the way farmers’ unions have kept the agitation in order, the same will be held in a disciplined order.”

  • Don’t mistake proposal to suspend farm laws as admission that acts have lacunae: Tomar

    He said the proposal has been made keeping in mind the sensitivity of the matter and because the government is keen to resolve the crisis in the interest of the farming community.

  • No resolution possible when sanctity of farmers’ agitation gets lost: Narendra Singh Tomar

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: With the government’s talks with farmer unions hitting a roadblock, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday said some “forces” definitely want protests to continue for their own personal and political motives and no resolution is possible when the sanctity of agitation is lost.

    The minister said the farmer unions have been asked to revert till Saturday if they agree to the government’s proposal for putting the laws on hold and forming a  joint committee to reach a solution, after which the talks can continue.

    “We also told farmers to give their own proposal, other than the repeal of Acts, if they have got anything better than our offer,” Tomar told reporters after the 11th round of talks at that lasted for almost five hours but included less than half an hour of active discussion between the two sides.

    ALSO READ| Government-farmers talks hit roadblock; Unions threaten to intensify agitation

    Asked whether he expects the farmers to agree to the government offer, he said, “I don’t want to speculate, but we are hopeful that farmer unions will consider positively our proposal.”

    On whether he saw any division among the union leaders on the government proposal, Tomar did not give a direct reply but said, “We thanked all farmer leaders, including those who support our proposal and those who are against it. We should remain hopeful. Let’s wait till tomorrow to hear farmer unions’ final decision.”

    Taking a hardline position, the minister said some external force was definitely trying to ensure that the agitation continues and those were obviously against the interests of farmers. “Govt gave many proposals to end the protest, but no resolution is possible when the sanctity of an agitation is lost,” he said.

    Tomar said that the three farm reform bills were passed in Parliament for farmers’ benefit and will increase their income. He added that the ongoing agitation is mainly by those from Punjab and some from a few other states.

    Tomar said the talks between the government and farmers are continuing since October 14 and there have been 11 rounds so far, including one with officials and others with the ministers.

  • Union ministers start 11th round of talks with protesting farmer unions over new laws

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The eleventh round of talks between protesting farmer unions and three central ministers got underway here on Friday to break the nearly two-month-long deadlock on the three new agri laws. In the last round of meeting held on Wednesday, the government yielded some ground in its bid to end the farmers’ protest on various border points of the national capital.

    The Centre had offered to put on hold the three laws for 12-18 months and also set up a joint committee to find solutions. However, the farmer unions on Thursday rejected the government’s offer and remained stuck to their two major demand — repeal of three farm laws and legal guarantee of the minimum support price (MSP).

    Farmers group said they will continue protest and also hold tractor rally on January 26, the Republic Day.

    Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Railways, Commerce and Food Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Commerce Som Parkash are holding the talks with the representatives of 41 farmer unions at the Vigyan Bhawan here.

    “In a full general body meeting of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha…, the proposal put forth by the government…was rejected. A full repeal of three central farm acts and enacting a legislation for remunerative MSP for all farmers were reiterated as the pending demands of the movement,” Samkyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of protesting unions, had said in a statement on Thursday.

    Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, are protesting at various border points of Delhi for over a month now against the three laws.

    Farmer groups have alleged these laws will end the mandi and MSP procurement systems and leave the farmers at the mercy of big corporates, even as the government has rejected these apprehensions as misplaced.

    On January 11, the Supreme Court had stayed the implementation of the three laws till further orders and appointed a four-member panel to resolve the impasse. Bhartiya Kisan Union president Bhupinder Singh Mann had recused himself from the committee appointed by the apex court.

    Shetkari Sanghatana (Maharashtra) president Anil Ghanwat and agriculture economists Pramod Kumar Joshi and Ashok Gulati, the other three members on the panel, started the consultation process with stakeholders on Thursday.