Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday said that the ongoing stir by thousands of farmers will reach a conclusion within minutes if the government wants.
“If the government wished, it could end the issue by sitting with the farmers in half an hour,” Raut told news agency ANI. The parliamentarian also suggested intervention by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “resolve the standoff in five minutes”.
“If the Prime Minister intervenes himself, it will be resolved in five minutes. Modi ji is such a big leader, everyone will listen to him. You initiate the talk yourself and see the miracle that happens,” the Shiv Sena leader said.
Thousands of farmers hailing from Punjab and Haryana are protesting near Delhi demanding repeal of three contentious farm laws passed by Parliament in September. The farmers have alleged that the laws will reduce their earnings and will give larger control to the corporations.
The protest has entered its third week, but there are no signs of a resolution to the standoff between the farmers’ unions and the government. Five runds of talks have been held so far, but the deadlock is contuinuing. While the government is saying that it can hold more rounds of talks, the farmer organisations are determined with their demand that the three laws be repealed.
Enacted in September, the three farm laws have been projected by the Centre as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country. However, the farmers organisations have expressed apprehension that it will pave the way for eliminating the minimum support price (MSP) cushion and do away with the mandis, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.
Source: Hindustan Times
