NEW DELHI: Tejashwi Yadav, Leader of Opposition in Bihar, on Sunday said that merely announcing rollback of three contentious farm laws in the run-up to Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh is not enough.
“This announcement, made just ahead of Assembly polls in UP, is not going to assuage pains of the families of the martyrs (farmers), who sacrificed their lives against the government’s ego and unilateralism in the form of farm laws,” he remarked.
The RJD leader demanded an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh and jobs in government departments to each bereaved family. He also took a jibe at Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, holding him equally responsible for supporting the farm laws and hardships faced by the farmers during agitation. He said Nitish Kumar should atone the sin he had committed by supporting the farm laws, by granting an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the families of deceased farmers.
Tejashwi also demanded immediate withdrawal of the cases lodged against farmers during the agitation against the farm laws. “The Central government should immediately withdraw all cases lodged against farmers and their leaders,” he said and added that the government must give a guarantee of MSP to the farmers.