Grand plan for PM's farm meet: Shah at cowshed, lot of big screens

The BJP is going all out to engage with farmers on Friday (December 25), when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address nine crore farmers to clarify the Centre’s position on the contentious farm laws and releasing financial aid of ₹18,000 crore under the PM-Kisan scheme.

BJP party chief JP Nadda has ordered “big screens to be arranged for listening to (the Prime Minister’s) address… at every block development centre”. Also, district-level programmes will be held an hour before the PM’s speech — these will also be held at all mandis (APMC markets). The programmes will entail BJP officer-bearers and public representatives promoting the schemes started by the Modi government, NDTV reported.

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Specially printed leaflets will also be distributed. The contents in the leaflets will also be translated into local languages, but no editing will be allowed to information drafted by the Centre.

Nadda has directed Union ministers, MPs and MLAs to participate in the address. Home Minister Amit Shah, too, will attend from a gaushala (cowshed) in Delhi. Letters have been sent to presidents of state units and all other senior leaders.

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The interaction on December 25, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s, is being held to combat a nearly month-long protest against the farm laws by thousands of farmers and the opposition.

The farmers say the new laws will leave them at the mercy of corporates while the Centre says it will benefit them. Multiple rounds of talks have hit a dead-end. The Centre has agreed to amend certain sections of the farm laws while farmers want the laws to be completely repealed.

On Wednesday (December 23), farmer leaders addressed a press conference at Singhu (on the Delhi-Haryana border) and requested the centre to present “concrete proposals in writing”. They had also called for a boycott of the Prime Minister’s Mann ki Baat speech on Sunday. The centre has said it remains open to further talks as per the time and place convenient for farmers. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Wednesday (December 23) that he was “hopeful of a solution.”

PM Modi had accused the opposition of “misleading” the farmers, while on Thursday (December 24), Congress chief Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at the Prime Minister and his government, saying “there is no democracy in India”. Gandhi accused PM Modi of crony capitalism, he said: “Whoever will try to stand against him will be called a terrorist – be it farmers, labourers…”