Farm Laws: BJP Spreading Misinformation About Opposition, Says Yechury

PTINew Delhi: Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Monday lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party for “misleading” the people of the country and “spreading misinformation” about the Opposition parties who have shown solidarity with farmers.

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had accused the Opposition parties of having “double standards” for opposing the farm reforms enacted by the Narendra Modi government and cited their earlier support to many provisions of the new laws.

“The BJP should stop trying to mislead the people and spread misinformation," said Yechury.

"Mr Prasad mentioned that all these parties which were part of the UPA had supported such a law, I want to make it clear that as long as the Left parties were supporting there was nothing like this that was discussed, this is absolute untruth,” said Yechury.

Prasad while speaking to the press also said that Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar, who was agriculture minister in the UPA government, had asked states to amend the APMC Act and had even warned them that the Centre will not provide financial assistance in absence of three reforms.

However, Yechury said what Pawar did was “consultation” and was the right way to go about any new legislation.

“In 2010, Sharad Pawar wrote letters to all chief ministers. That was a consultation process which was started from the CMs which is the right way to go in a federal polity," he said.

"This is exactly what the BJP government has bulldozed over. Now that consultation did not proceed into a law. No laws came. The government and its ministers should stop this misinformation and misleading the people. They should accept the genuine demands of the kisans,” he added.

Opposition parties, including many regional outfits, have come out in strong support of the 'Bharat Bandh' on December 8 called by farmer unions which have been protesting on Delhi's borders for 11 days demanding the repeal of the Centre's new agri-marketing laws.

Prominent leaders including Congress president Sonia Gandhi, NCP leader Sharad Pawar, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, DMK chief M K Stalin and PAGD chairman Farooq Abdullah also issued a joint statement backing the proposed day-long strike and pressed the Centre to meet the legitimate demands of the protesters.