By Manoj Pathak

Patna, Dec 21 (IANS): While the opposition parties are supporting the farmers' agitation against the three new farm laws enacted by the Central government, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched a 'Kisan Chaupal' campaign in Bihar to stem the increasing criticism arising from the farmers' agitation. The BJP through this campaign is informing and explaining to the farmers about the benefits of the farm laws.

The BJP has not only fielded its ministers and MPs in Bihar, Central ministers from the state will also participate in the 'Kisan Chaupal' initiative and explain to the farmers about the new farm laws. A BJP leader said party workers at the booth level have also been assigned special tasks in the government's outreach to the farmers.

Bihar BJP unit IT Cell Convener Manan Krishna said about 60 'Kisan Chaupals' have been organised in the state till now. During this campaign launched on Sunday in various districts of Bihar, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, former Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, BJP MP Rampal Yadav, Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey and State BJP President Sanjay Jaiswal are spreading awareness among the people about the farm laws through various meetings.

BJP Spokesperson Manoj Sharma says, "The opposition is misleading farmers about the farm laws. A comprehensive campaign is being run by the party to explain the farm laws. 'Kisan Chaupal' is being held at several other places, including the district party headquarters, where they are being informed about the various intricacies of the farm laws and the benefits these laws will provide to the farmers."

In Bihar, the opposition parties like the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, Communist Party Of India (Marxist) have adopted a hostile attitude towards the farm laws and are demanding their repeal. However, the farmers have not taken to the streets in the state.

Former Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said farmers in Bihar are firmly with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. Modi said that in 2006, the NDA-I government in Bihar abolished the Market Committee Act, incurring a revenue loss of Rs 70 crore annually, and had liberated lakhs of farmers from the one per cent market committee tax. The Congress had promised to end the mandi-market committee system in its 2019 party manifesto.

Sushil Modi said that the mandi system which had ended in Bihar and which the Congress wanted to end in 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done by implementing a nationwide farm law, so why is the Congress worried?