Ready to rectify flaws in farm laws: Union Minister

Mathura: Union Minister Bhanu Pratap Verma asked the protesting farmers on Tuesday to point out the shortcomings in the three farm laws so that the government could rectify them, reports PTI. He claimed that the agitation was born out of opposition parties tutoring the farmers.

His statement came on the day when a large number of farmers organised a 'gherao' before the district headquarters in Haryana's Karnal.

Bhanu Pratap, the Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), told the reporters at Vrindavan that farm laws were enacted to address the need of the people rather than BJP's benefit. The laws will address the complaints farmers put forward earlier, such as them not being allowed to sell their produce in the markets of their choice to get maximum benefit.

The protesting farmers are unaware of the details of the new laws and are continuing their agitation based on what the opposition parties taught them, he said. Since elections are approaching, these parties are misguiding the farmers to gain political mileage, he said. He asked Congress why they didn't facilitate farmers to sell their products anywhere in the country.

Farmers have been protesting against the three new farm laws for nearly ten months.

Regarding the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), had the minorities in Pakistan and Bangladesh not been treated unfairly, the act wouldn't have been formulated, the minister said, justifying CAA. Minorities should have been living there peacefully as minorities in India, he said.

The minister disclosed the plan of making bio-paint from cow dung and promised that the government would provide assistance and training for those who like to choose the trade.