New Delhi: The Supreme Court’s stay on the three contentious farm laws was the primary focus of prime time debates Tuesday night.
On News Nation, anchor Deepak Chaurasia was distressed by the farmers’ refusal to negotiate with the expert committee formed by the SC.
“Farmers have called the committee formed biased,” he said.
BJP leader Ashwini Upadhaya had no new arguments to offer: “Some people are manipulating the farmers. Laws are formed through procedures, blocking roads won’t repeal laws,”
“The truth is that everyone is being manipulated by Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and the whole BJP,” claimed Congress’ Surendra Rajput.
But Chaurasia hit back at the Congress party: “You don’t trust the government, now you don’t trust the Supreme Court, you already didn’t have trust in the Parliament. According to Rahul Gandhi, democracy is in danger. Will solutions now be formed on roads?”
Times Now’s Navika Kumar was also critical of the farmers snubbing the expert committee.
However, Rajeev Godara, executive member of the Jai Kisan Andolan, defended this move and said, “To raise questions about the credibility and the integrity of this committee should not be looked at as insult of the Supreme Court, as the four members have spoken in favour of these laws previously so they will not get the farmers’ views.”
Author Anand Ranganathan labelled the Supreme Court order “beyond judicial activism” and then explained that in quite dramatic terms. “The Constitution of India died today. Carrying her dead body through the quiet and sombre Tilak Marg, were the burly pallbearers, the justices of SC,” he intoned.
Meanwhile, senior advocate Sanjay Hegde said, “This is a government of one-way communication and so is its opposition (the protesters) — all that the court is trying to do is get them to talk.”
At NDTV 24×7, anchor Vishnu Som also farmed the controversy over the new laws.
Yogendra Yadav, Swaraj India president who has been standing with the protesting farmers said, “A committee of experts cannot decide the basic framework of the Indian agriculture which is at stake right now.”
He added that the farmers had neither approached the Supreme Court to mediate the matter nor had any petition asked them to do so. They always questioned the constitutionality of the laws and would continue to do so.
According to Additional Solicitor General Satya Pal Jain, “If there is any objection to the composition of the committee, the best course for the farmers’ leaders would be to move an application before the Supreme Court tomorrow.”
Dr M.J. Khan, chairman of the think tank Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture (ICFA), defended the laws and said, “MSP is now being given in writing which was never done before”.
Khan also said that these laws will greatly benefit the farmers in retrospect.
Zee News moved away from the farmers to discuss the new and controversial privacy policy by WhatsApp.
Anchor Aditi Tyagi asked whether the government needs to step in to protect people from this “digital scam” in “Modi’s Digital India”.
Cyber expert Pawan Duggal noted, “WhatsApp’s latest tweet about end to end encryption is a failed attempt to mislead users as they never addressed the amended policy in the clarification.”
Duggal added that the government needs to protect consumers with stricter cyber laws.
BJP leader and Supreme Court lawyer Amitabh Sinha’s solution was to give up the app entirely. “In order to protect one’s own privacy we should stand up against this and give up apps like WhatsApp, and use provisions already in place to tackle cyber crime.”
Gajendra Sankhla, Congress spokesperson, asked how the government was planning to curtail cyber crimes.
He noted, “If one registers a complaint with the police, they redirect you to the Cyber Cell and the Cyber Cell does the same. So then how do people protect themselves?”.
Experts and the specialists are of no use to tackle this crisis then let the protestors submit a list of people who have read the laws and understood them thoroughly. Let the protestors supreme court and the government sit down and choose the jury.