The Government on Sunday fielded Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who pitched himself as a ‘farmer’ and showcased his credentials as a former Agriculture Minister, to allay the fears of the farmers over the farm Bills passed by the Parliament. Singh said he wanted to send a clear message to the farmers that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) would continue for their benefit.

Strongly condemning the behaviour of the Opposition parties against Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh Narayan Singh, the Defence Minister described it as “very shameful”.

He, however, left the question of no confidence motion proposed by the Opposition against the Deputy Chairman to the discretion of the Chairman of the Rajya sabha M Venkaiah Naidu.

On the question as to why the Government does not remove the misgivings on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) by guaranteeing it in the Bill as was suggested by the RSS-affiliated Swadeshi Jagran Manch, Rajanth, who was addressing a press conference along with five other Union Ministers, said such was never done in the Act .

He said the Government has increased the MSP and been successful “to a large  extent” towards “doubling the income of the farmers” and “we are moving further in the direction”.

Condemning the ruckus in the RS, he said he was “ deeply pained” by the misbehaviour  by Opposition members with ‘Harivashji’ who, he said, always practiced high values. The Minister said it was unprecedented in the history of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha for members to tear the rule-book and stand on the chair of the Deputy-Chairman.

The Minister said the opposition actions in the upper house, which is described as “house of elders”, were  very sad. Its “mere condemnation is not enough”.  “ This has deeply hurt and  lowered the  parliamentary dignity,” he said

On the question of opposition contemplating no-confidence motion against Harivansh, Rajnath said it was the  “prerogative of the Chairman of the RS to decide on the  issue.”

When asked why the Deputy-Chairman did not accept the demand of a division in the house, Union Minister of state for Minority Affairs Mikhtar Abbas

Naqvi responded by saying that the Deputy Chairman asked opposition MPs to go back to their seats but instead he was encircled and were “slogan-shouting”.

Besides Rajnath and Naqvi, other union ministers included Prakash Javadekar, Prahlad Joshi, Thawarchand Gehlot and Piyush Goyal.