Only few people opposing farm laws due to political reasons: Haryana CM Khattar
Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday defended the Centre's new farm laws and claimed a handful of people are opposing these due to "political reasons".
He said in a democratic set up though everyone has the right to put forward his views, there is no place for putting pressure by blocking roads.
Addressing a Jal Adhikar Rally in south Haryana's Narnaul, where a galaxy of senior BJP leaders from the state were in attendance, Khattar said the Centre is committed to doubling the farmers' income by 2022. He said this will be done in many stages and farm reforms is one of them.
But a handful of people, who are politically motivated, I won't call them as representatives of farmers, are opposing these laws due to political reasons, he said. He said there are ways to protest, it can be on the floor of the assembly, through the media, by going amongst people and holding big or small meetings in public, but to put pressure by gathering 50,000, 70,000 people and blocking roads democracy is not for such things .
There is no place for this in a democracy. If governments bend on this, then the country will go in wrong direction. With great difficulties, we have set up this democracy, he said.
Speaking on the Sutlej-Yamuna link canal, Khattar said in a democratic country, states cannot be run arbitrarily and added Punjab will have to give up its stubbornness over the issue.
He hoped that Haryana will definitely get its rightful share of waters.
He asked the farmers protesting against the farm laws to include construction of the canal in Punjab as one of their demands during talks with the Centre. The SYL case has been pending for decades. As soon as the BJP government was formed, a plea to hear the matter ahead of time was made, after which the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Haryana. The court had asked chief ministers of both the states to sit down and decide but Punjab has not agreed to give Haryana its rightful share, he said.
