Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday defended National Congress
Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar for pushing states to amend the APMC Act in the
past, as the agricultural minister under UPA-2, saying the latter’s intentions
were in the benefit of farmers’ welfares.

In a report by Hindustan Times, Raut further claimed that in 2010,
corporates had not managed enter the farming sector in a major way.

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Raut, in his weekly column RokhThok published in the party’s
mouthpiece Saamana, put forward his opinion on the ongoing farmers’ protest and
the controversial farm laws where the protests have originated from, describing
the laws as ‘dark’ ones which will have turned ‘farms into graveyards’ and signal
‘death’ when it comes to farmers themselves.

“The three laws will turn farms into graveyards and mean death for farmers,” Raut reportedly wrote.

“Ten years ago when Sharad Pawar sought reforms in the
agricultural sector it was in the interest of the farmers. Then Ambani-Adani
had not entered this field. The expansion by the corporates in the field came
about in the last six years”, defending Pawar, the Sena leader was further
quoted as saying.

Also read: Farmers to block major highways to Delhi today, will sit on a hunger strike on Monday

Accusing the BJP of spreading rumours that the protest does not reflect
the mood of the farmers across the nation, the article states that the
successful Bharat Bandh has proved the tactic to be futile.

“Ministers will come and go but if the farms are destroyed the
country will suffer. A communist country like China and a capitalist country
like America take care of their farmers then why the indifference by Indian
government,” the letter sought to know, warning of disastrous consequences in
case of the farming sector getting affected.