“After coming to power, they (Centre) forgot their promises,” Abhay Chautala said (File)
Sirsa:
INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala, who quit as Haryana assembly MLA last month in support of farmers’ agitation against the farm laws, on Friday hit out at the Centre for allegedly being apathetic towards them.
The Indian National Lok Dal leader said the BJP, before coming to power, had made tall promises to the farming community, including the implementation of Swaminathan Commission report.
“But their deeds did not match their words. After coming to power, they forgot their promises and enacted three agricultural laws which will ruin farmers,” he alleged.
He said the Centre first issued three farm ordinances last year without consulting farmers and later ratified them, enacting laws on them.
Mr Chautala made the allegations while addressing a “Kisan Panchayat” at Nathusari Chopta in Sirsa, where a “Kisan Kesari” award was conferred on him by the organisers of the farmers” meet for his decision to resign as MLA over the farm laws
Various speakers at the event said Abhay Chautala safeguarded “the honour of farmers’ turban” by his decision and followed the principles of his grandfather and former Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhary Devi Lal, who was considered as messiah of farmers.
Mr Chautala told the gathering that many leaders promised the protesting farmers that they would resign from the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha, if needed, and stand with them, but no one took such a step.
He said he resigned as MLA after consulting people of his Ellenabad constituency and they told him to go ahead with his decision.
Mr Chautala claimed in the meeting that the central farm laws will lead to the scrapping of “mandis” “which will be taken over by private entities”.
“These private entities will also enter into agreements with farmers and purchase their produce at cheap rates,” he added.
He asked the gathering and his supporters to extend full support to the Saturday’s “chakka jam” programme, which, however, was rolled back later by the agitating farmers.
Farmer unions had on Monday announced that they would hold a countrywide “chakka jam” on February 6 and block national and state highways for three hours to protest against the internet ban in areas near their agitation sites and the alleged harassment meted out to them by authorities.
Mr Chautala also addressed later a gathering of farmers at the “Kisan Janajagaran Sammelan” in village in Sirsa.
Addressing the gathering, he justified his decision to resign as MLA, saying there is no position more important for him than the interests of farmers and the general public.