Demand withdrawal of farm laws: Mamata
Kolkata: Comparing Modi with Hitler and Mussolini for the Centre's attempt to take away people's rights, Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee demanded immediate withdrawal of 'anti-farmer' and 'anti-people' farm laws.
While addressing the rally of her party's farmers' wing-Kisan Khet Majdoor Trinamool Congress Committee, Banerjee demanded that the anti-farmers' laws have to be withdrawn and there should be a limit up to which one can procure farmers' produce. She also demanded inclusion of potato, onion and edible oil in the list of essential commodities.
While extending her support to the agitating farmers at Haryana-Delhi border, the party supremo said the Centre had also decided not to give subsidy on power supply to farmers. "We have come to know that they are setting up cold storages on 100 acres at Nawada, where they will store food grains after taking it away from all states. We are cross checking it," Banerjee alleged.
Stating that her government had ensured three times increase in farmers' income, Banerjee citied how the Centre had deprived the paddy cultivators in Bengal as Food Corporation of India procured 71 lakh metric tonne paddy from Uttar Pradesh, 111 lakh from Telangana, 82 lakh from Andhra Pradesh. "They have taken only 71,000 MT from Bengal despite the state being the highest producer of the same," she claimed.
"With the introduction of the farm laws, power from the state government was taken away. As a result, the state cannot procure agricultural produce to sell the same at subsidised rate when the prices are skyrocketing," she said, adding that in Bengal 73 farmers are now getting the benefits of Krishak Bandhu scheme. This comes when the Centre raised allegations of not implementing PM Kishan Nidhi scheme in the state.
Launching a fresh attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Banerjee said the former was not following the Constitution and doing whatever he felt for having the support of 300 MPs.
"Such was not the scenario at the time of Rajiv Gandhi who had 400 MPs," she said after attacking the Centre for its disinvestment and privatisation policy.
Besides demanding disclosure of the PM Cares fund, Banerjee further said it would have been better if the fund for the new Parliament building was given to farmers. This comes on the day Modi laid the foundation of the new building.
Banerjee also criticised BJP as its national president J P Nadda on Wednesday stated that Rabindranath Tagore was born in Visva Bharati. She urged her party workers to apologise to people during their visit to their doorsteps as part of the Bango Dhoni programme for the disrespect shown to Rabindranath Tagore. Under the programme, Trinamool Congress leaders and workers will be visiting households from December 11 to 21 highlighting the development work undertaken in the past nine years.
