Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K.S. Alagiri on Wednesday said the three central farm laws would destroy agriculture in the country and questioned how Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, who calls himself a farmer, could support these legislations.
Addressing the media in Erode on Wednesday, he said the Congress party was the first in the country to condemn the Central government for introducing the farm laws, following which many State governments had passed resolutions against the laws. “It is unfortunate that the TN CM had supported the law,” he said and added, “I do not understand how he supported the laws. It shows that he has no relation with farming”.
Mr. Alagiri said that the laws affect farmers, traders, remove the public distribution system and also remove the minimum support price (MSP) for paddy and wheat. “The government gives oral assurances that MSP will continue, but it is not ready to amend the laws,” he said. The Centre is planning to help only the corporate companies through the laws, he said.
Asked about the Chief Minister during his election campaigning focusing on the 2G spectrum scam blaming the DMK and the Congress parties, Mr. Alagiri said that no investigation agency had proved in court that any wrong-doing was committed. “It is fabricated and taken up only during elections,” he added.
He said that the party’s election manifesto will highlight opposition to the farm laws, the need to strengthen the public distribution system, the abolition of NEET, development of MSMEs and the implementation of the M.S. Swaminathan Commission recommendations.
Mr. Alagiri said that former Congress president Rahul Gandhi will visit Erode on January 24 and garland the statues of leaders at Panneerselvam Park and address the gathering.
