RSS-affiliate seeks clarity on agriculture-marketing ordinances from Centre

JALANDHAR: Bhartiya Kisan Sangh, which is affiliated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, has sought complete clarity from the Union government on its recent ordinances pertaining to amendments in agriculture produce marketing laws as there are still apprehensions among farmers about these changes.
Initial clarifications, the farmers’ body claimed, have helped improve understanding but still more clarity is required to allay any apprehensions among the farmers.It appears that the ordinances would not harm farmers’ interest, the group claimed.
BKS regional organizing secretary Leeladhar said that they would meet other farmer organizations and unions also on the issue as they all had interest in farmers. “Interactions will bring more understanding of the apprehensions among the farmers. As there are still concerns among the farmers in Punjab, we shall ask our central leaders to get more clarity from the Union government so that all these concerns can be addressed,” he told TOI on Sunday.
On June 19, the BKS leader had said that Union minister Nitin Gadkari’s remarks on MSP had added to the apprehensions among farmers but on Sunday he said that after the Union minister had himself clarified that he did not make any statement about decreasing MSP, apprehensions around MSP should not be there.
‘Mills yet to pay dues of last year to cane growers’
We consider his latest clarification as a clarification by the Union government on the issue of MSP and we believe that MSP would not be harmed,” he said. However, the BKS regional organizing secretary said that still there were some apprehensions and these should be completely addressed and allayed.
He said that the farmers were already in a bad state and they suffered losses recently during the lockdown as the prices of vegetables and milk plummeted and then in certain areas locus attacks harmed them. “Sugar mills have yet to pay the dues of last year to the cane growers. In such a situation, it would have to be ensured that in states like Punjab and Haryana private companies should not be calling the shots,” he argued.
Responding to a specific query, Leeladhar said that any articulation on the farmers’ issue was of the BKS alone and they had not discussed anything with RSS. The RSS-affiliate also demanded the Punjab government must thoroughly investigate the seed scam, bring out all the details and book all the culprits.