Jammu, December 08 (KNS) : Led by Shri Raman Bhalla, Former Minister & Vice President JKPCC, Congress today held a “ Protest Rally” at Shaheeda Chowk Jammu, to protest against the anti famers legislations of the BJP Govt. at the centre. A large number of Congress workers holding play cards in their hands amidst raising slogans in support of Farmers Agitation, assembled at PCC HQ Jammu and started protest march towards Press Club. They were stopped by the heavily deployed police, who came into action and scuffled with the Congress leaders and workers and stopped them to move ahead.

In a statement issued to news agency-kashmir news service (KNS), Speaking on the occasion, Shri Raman Bhalla appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to personally address all “genuine” issues of agitating farmers after putting aside all his other engagements. The Prime Minister should resolve the issues of agitating 'annadatas' on a “top national priority” basis, he said. When the Centre is repeatedly assuring farmers of continued procurement of their produce at the minimum support price, there should be no hitch in giving it a legal shape through necessary legislation, he added.“The fact is that the BJP and its governments at the Centre and in states have got jittery by the success of farmers' secular and democratic movement,” said Bhalla. Former Minister said his party has been in the movement from the first day.“Since then, in deference to the wishes of the agitating farmers, our entire focus and efforts have been towards a united fight with whole-hearted participation by our workers at different levels,” he said.

Bhalla further said that NDA government at the Centre must shun its "arrogance" and repeal the newly enacted farm laws. He said the farmers were spending nights on roads in the chilly winter weather as the "government continued to ignore their demands". He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should directly intervene in the matter and listen to the demands of the protesting farmers. Government must not delay paying heed to the welfare issues of the farmers," he said." The NDA government must shun its arrogance, insensitivity, adamant attitude and roll back the black farm laws. The Congress Party stands with our farmers in ensuring the mandi system, MSP must continue & farmers & farm lands are saved from big corporate," he said.

In India, over 50% of the workforce is dependent on agriculture with at least 70% of the rural households primarily dependent on the agriculture sector for their livelihood.The new reforms allow large companies to buy produce from farmers directly. In India, farmers usually sell their produce at local state-registered markets that ensure them a minimum support price, which protects them from price shocks in case of a bad crop year. “What these new laws do is they solve none of the structural issues in agriculture but throw the whole sector to the corporates, to the crony capitalists and to the big businessmen, and that is of great concern to the farmers and the labourers and the traders and everybody who is involved with the agrarian system,” Bhalla said. “They’re allowing the corporates to draw lopsided agreements with no real legal recourse for the farmers and that will really shatter the farmers if the corporates renege on their promises.”

Bhalla maintained that farmers will lose their lands, will lose their income if you let big business decide prices and buy crops," he said."They don't trust big business. Free markets work in countries with less corruption and more regulation. It can't work for them here," he said. Farmers are mainly concerned that the reforms will eventually lead to the end of wholesale markets and assured prices, leaving them with no back-up option. That is, if they are not satisfied with the price offered by a private buyer, they cannot return to the mandi or use it as a bargaining chip during negotiations."First, farmers will feel attracted towards these private players, who will offer a better price for the produce. The government mandis will pack up meanwhile and after a few years, these players will start exploiting the farmers. That's what they fear," Bhalla said. “Why did the government have to bring out these laws during the COVID-19 time, why did they have to ram it through the parliament during the [pandemic],” he said, adding “the only shining light is that the fatality rate has not been as high as expected six months back… but it is a do-or-die situation for the farmers.”

PCC General Secretary Th. Manmohan Singh lashed out at BJP and Centre government for anti-farmer legislation against which farmers throughout the country are protesting against their interest and overall independence. He said that the government has deprived the farmers for procurement system by new legislation and went against the interest of farmers for safeguarding the interest and income of farmers. He criticized the BJP for "depriving all sections of society their due rights with each bill they pass unconstitutionally in the parliament and without people's consent". He described Modi Govt. anti-people and pro-rich because it serves the interests of rich, the big corporates and their wealthy friends and it don't care the poor or the small farmers.

Along with Raman Bhalla, Smt. Kanta Bhan, Rajnish Sharma, Thakur Manmohan Singh, Satish Sharma, Krishan Lal Gupta, S. Manjit Singh Jatt, Sanjeev Panda, Rajvir Singh, Gajan Singh, Smt. Vandana Sharma, Suresh Dogra, Dr. Rama Kant Khajuria, Rajinder Singh Jamwal, Gourav Chiopra, Kamal Singh, Kewal Krishan Jogi, Rajesh Sharma, S. Gurmit Singh, Pawan Dev Singh, Sandeep Dogra, Nasar Masih, Sdr. H.S. Baggi, Sat Pal Spolia, Dewan Chand, Rajinder Kumar Meenia, Balwinder Singh, Ajay Kumar Handa, Chander Shekhar Sharma, Vinay Sharma, Atul Sharma, Lalit Sharma, Marks Gill, Jatinder Singh Dimpa, Raj Kumar Sodi, Inder Pal Singh, Tarseem Lal, Rishu Kumar, Yash Pal Sarangal, , Daya Ram, Lajju Ram and others, were present at the protest to demand repeal of the farm laws (KNS).