'Intellectual dishonesty': PM Modi hits out at Opposition over farm reforms criticism

New Delhi, Oct 02: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack at the Opposition for opposing pro-farmer reforms and called it a 'Rajneetik dhokhadhadi'.

In an interview to Open magazine, PM Modi said that his government is committed to empowering the small farmers in every way.

"If you look at those who are opposing the pro-farmer reforms today, you will see the real meaning of intellectual dishonesty and 'rajneetik dhokhadhadi' (political deceit). These were the same people who wrote letters to chief ministers asking them to do the exact same thing that our government has done. These were the same people who wrote in their manifesto that they would enact the same reforms that we have brought," PM Modi said.

"Yet, just because some other political party, blessed by the will of the people, is enacting the same reforms, they have made a complete U-turn and in a brazen display of intellectual dishonesty, completely disregard what will benefit the farmers and only seek what they think will benefit them politically," he added.

The prime minister noted that his government has been saying right from the beginning that it is ready to sit together with the protesting farm bodies and discuss on those issues on which there is a disagreement.

"Many meetings have also been held in this regard but no one till now has come up with a specific point of disagreement that we want this to be changed," he said.

The ruling BJP has said that several opposition parties, including the Congress, had promised similar farm reforms that the Modi government has enacted but are now backing protests against the new laws for selfish political reasons.

A section of farmers, especially in Punjab and part of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting against the laws, whose implementation have been put on hold.