Targeting the Opposition for protesting against the new farm laws, Prime Minister said “these people are neither with the farmer, nor with the youth, nor with the soldiers”.
Saying that they were “opposing just for the sake of opposing”, Modi said “people who oppose and protest are becoming increasingly irrelevant for the country and society”.
Speaking at the inauguration of six projects related to the Namami Gange mission in Uttarakhand, via video conference, Modi said: “They are opposing the independence of the farmer. These people are now insulting farmers by setting on fire the goods and equipment that farmers worship.” Youth Congress workers from Punjab set a tractor on fire near India Gate
Reiterating that the MSP (minimum support price) system would not be scrapped, Modi said: “The country has freed its farmers from many restrictions. Now, the farmer can sell his produce to anyone, anywhere. But today, when the central government is giving the farmers their rights, these people are protesting.”
“Aaj desh dekh raha hai ki kaise kuchh log sirf virodh ke liye virodh kar rahe hain (The country is watching how some people are opposing just for the sake of opposing),” he said.
“Today, these people are spreading confusion among farmers about MSP. The MSP will remain and the freedom of farmers to sell their produce anywhere will also remain. Some people are unable to accept this freedom. One of their means of generating black money has ended, so they have problems,” he said.
He said the Opposition had also criticised the government on other issues including the jan dhan scheme, GST, one rank-one pension, surgical strikes, Rafale acquisition, State of Unity and Ram temple. “Yeh log na kisan ke saath hain, na naujawan ke saath, aur na hee jawan ke saath (these people are neither with the farmer, nor with the youth, nor with the soldiers),” he said.
“It has become their habit to oppose everything that is happening for the country. Their only way in politics is opposition,” he said. “With passage of time, these people who oppose and protest are becoming irrelevant for the country and society… A party, whose four generations of a family ruled the country, wants to fulfill its selfish interests by riding on the shoulders of others, and opposing everything related to national interest,” he said.
