'Don't make it prestige issue, repeal farm laws'
New Delhi: Urging the Centre not to make the agri laws a "prestige issue", senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Thursday asserted that the government must let go of its "stubbornness" to immediately repeal the legislations, and said that when the BJP could not convince its allies like the Akali Dal and the RLP on the issue, how can it expect the farmers to accept the laws.
A day ahead of former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's visit to Rajasthan to raise the voice of the farmers against the farm laws, he said that the Centre should withdraw the laws and after thorough consultation with farmers and states, come up with a new set of legislations which the tillers would themselves want and is not something that is forced upon them.
Pilot slammed the BJP for stating that the Congress had made a "U-turn" on the farm laws, saying it was the BJP which was prone to making 'U-turns', while his party was consistent on all issues.
While the Congress supported agri reforms, it did not back laws which are "contrary to the interest of the farmers", said the former Rajasthan deputy chief minister, who addressed two kisan panchayats in Dausa and Bharatpur recently, which saw a massive turnout.
"First of all, they (BJP) made a U-turn on Aadhaar, then on GST, MGNREGA, FDI and so many issues. The Congress said we want to get new investments (in the agri sector) and technological inputs, want more 'mandis', liberalise the system, but never said we will make laws contrary to the interest of the farmers," he said.
Stressing that the government should set aside its "ego'' and let go of its "stubbornness" to repeal the laws, Pilot said almost all political parties and even the BJP's allies - be it the Akali Dal or Hanuman Beniwal's Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) - opposed the laws. Both the Akali Dal and the RLP quit the BJP-led NDA, opposing the farm laws brought in by the government.
"They were not able to convince their own NDA partners, how can they expect the farmers to be convinced by these laws and accept them,"
Pilot said.
"I don't think they should make it a prestige issue," the former Rajasthan Congress chief said.
Asked if there could be a middle path or the repeal of laws was the only option, Pilot said the farmers have explicitly said that they want a complete withdrawal of the laws and the Congress stands firmly behind their demand.
