COURTESY HT FEB 10

FARM LAWS NOT SCRIPTURES THAT CAN’T BE CHANGED’

NC leader Farooq Abdullah speaks in the Lok Sabha .
New Delhi : National Conference member Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday said the new farm laws are not religious scriptures that changes cannot be made as he appealed to the Centre to hold a dialogue with the agitating farmers and come out with a solution.

He was speaking during the discussion on Motion of Thanks to the President’s address.

“I just want to make this request on the farmers’ issue. It is not a ‘khudai kitaab’ (religious scripture) that we cannot make changes. But we have made law. If they (farmers) want it to be scrapped, why can’t you talk to them,” he said.

“I would request you with folded hands that let us not stand on prestige... This is our nation. We belong to this nation and if we belong to this nation let us respect everybody in this nation,” Abdullah said, adding, “Come out with a solution.” He also urged the law minister to bring some law to stop such activities.

On the recently-concluded district development council (DDC) polls, he said, these happened peacefully but now elected members were being purchased to force the members to vote for others.

Congratulating Indian scientists and the Serum Institute of India for developing a vaccine against coronavirus, he said as of now very few people were being vaccinated and efforts should be made that more people get the jab. He said the virus has badly hit the tourism industry in J&K and he has no words to explain poverty there.