Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded to President Ram Nath Kovind’s Motion of Thanks in Rajya Sabha on Monday. Referring to the ongoing farmer protests, PM said that a new entity called ‘Andolan Jivi’ has come up in the country.
They can be spotted in every protest, be it agitation by students, lawyers, or laborers. PM said that ‘Andolan Jivi’ cannot live without ‘Andolan’ and it is critical to identify these parasites feasting on every agitation & protect the country from them.
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President makes a special address on a government policy that has to be approved by the Cabinet. Matters referred to in the President’s Address are discussed in a motion of thanks moved by a member of the House and seconded by another member. PM Modi is replying to this motion in Rajya Sabha today.
Lauding the contribution of the Sikh community, who constitute the majority of the farmers’ population protesting against the farm laws, PM Modi said that the country is proud of every Sikh as they have done so much for the nation and the teachings of Guru Sahibs are precious. In the context of farmers’ protest against farm laws, PM reassured that MSP (Minimum Support Price) will continue to be implemented in the future. He said, “ MSP was there. MSP is there. MSP will remain in the future ”.
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Last week, several international celebrities and public figures including pop star Rihanna expressed their support for farmers and criticized Modi government tactics as a violation of the human rights of the protestors. Taking a jibe on the international community, PM Modi said that the nation progressing and we are talking about FDI but there is a new FDI that has come to the fore from which we have to protect our nation. We need Foreign Direct Investment but this new FDI is ‘Foreign Destructive Ideology’, which we have to protect ourselves from.
Targeting the opposition parties who have taken a U-turn on the laws, PM Modi quoted ex-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s remarks on the farm laws “There are other rigidities because of marketing regime set up in the 1930s which prevent our farmers from selling their products where they get the highest rate of return. It is our intention to remove all those handicaps which come in the way of India realizing its vast potential at one large common market”.
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PM further highlighted NDA government’s other schemes also help farmers and claimed that since 2014 the government has initiated changes in the agriculture sector aimed at empowering the farmers. The Prime Minister reiterated that the government is working for benefitting the small farmers.
