In yet another surprising twist, Telangana Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy today welcomed the Supreme Court verdict staying the three controversial farm Acts of the Centre, after first
welcoming the laws just some days back.
The minister said that the agitating farmers had half-won the battle against the farm laws with the coming of the SC's verdict.
"Agriculture is a concern solely of the state governments. The Centre should not involve itself in the matter. It is good that the Supreme Court has stayed the implementation of the three laws. Its intervention has brought some much-needed relief and assurance to the protestors. In the future, the respective state governments and the direct stakeholders in farming matters, the agrarian community, should be much more involved in the decision-making process from the get go," he said.
Lashing out at the national media, the minister accused it of hiding the news of the ongoing farmers' protests in Delhi, in what he alleged was an attempt to crush the dissent against the laws.
"The national media has failed spectacularly at highlighting the plight of the farmers in the country. The media's treatment of the matter has been shameful. I hope it will be more committed to relaying the problems of the farmers in the future," he said.
Reddy also urged the Centre to find an "amicable" solution to its stalemate with the farmers at the earliest through a process of comprehensive dialogue.
The Supreme Court issued instructions to stay the three controversial orders today. However, the court was quick to clarify that neither side should see this as a decisive stand, as the stay orders had been issued to reduce tensions in the state capital ahead of the upcoming Republic Day celebrations.
The Telangana government's stand on the matter has been plagued by what many have called "opportunistic indecisiveness". While the government had initially said it would
stand by the farmers and reject the laws, it then reversed its stand and
welcomed the implementation of the laws. Its endorsement of the SC's verdict now, therefore, comes as quite a surprise.