Amid the continuous agitation against the three contentious farm laws, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reiterating the government’s stand on the issue, has made it clear that the Centre’s offer to the farmers to suspend the laws for 18 months remains on the table while talks to end the deadlock may continue.
The Prime Minister assured that his government is approaching the issue of farm laws with an open mind. He said that the government’s stance is the same as it was on 22 January and the proposal made by the Agriculture Minister still holds. He asserted that Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar is just a phone call away to resume the talks with the farmers over the issue. So far nine rounds of talks between the government and farmers have failed to yield anything.
Prime Minister Modi made the assurance addressing the all-party meeting on Budget Session of Parliament today. He said that the government is open to a detailed discussion on issues raised by the leaders in the meeting. He reaffirmed the importance of smooth functioning of Parliament and comprehensive debates on the Floor of the House. He added that frequent disruptions mean smaller parties suffer as they can’t express themselves adequately. He further said that it is for the bigger parties to ensure that Parliament functions smoothly, there are no disruptions, and the smaller parties are able to voice their views in both houses.
A day before the Prime Minister’s ‘outreach’ to the farmers and opposition parties, President Ram Nath Kovind, addressing the joint sitting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha at the start of the Budget session, underlined that the government is continuously making efforts to dispel the misunderstanding over the new farm laws. He said the Centre would abide by the Supreme Court’s decision to stay the implementation of the laws for the present.
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But the opposition parties are geared up to corner the government over the issue in Parliament. On Friday, opposition parties boycotted President’s Kovind address to show solidarity with farmers protesting against the new laws.
While the President referred to the vandalism on Republic Day calling it unfortunate and urged the people to abide by the laws, the Prime Minister today said that the law would take its own course.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary and said that we must strive towards fulfilling his dreams. He condemned the desecration of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in the U.S. saying that an atmosphere of hate is not welcome for our planet.
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