Assures farmers, says new legislations to offer more options, MSP structure to stay protectedWill benefit farm sectorBQ: The new legislations will bring progress and benefit the farming sector. These are being opposed only by those who do not want the farmers to break away from the shackles of middlemen.Vibha SharmaTribune News ServiceNew Delhi, September 18Prime Minister Narendra Modi today termed the three agriculture Bills passed by Lok Sabha “historic” and slammed opposition parties for “spreading lies and misguiding farmers”, “supporting middlemen” and opposing new opportunities being provided to the sector.“Farmers have been given new independence. They will now have more options and opportunities to sell their produce, it was necessary to bring these measures to protect them from middlemen,” he said, reiterating the promise to protect the MSP structure while urging farmers to be wary of those who ruled the country for decades and were now “lying to them”.“The new legislations will bring progress and benefit the farming sector. These are being opposed only by those who do not want the farmers to break away from the shackles of middlemen. They are opposing just for the sake of opposition without realising that farmers are aware that these people are standing with middlemen,” he said, speaking at the launch of yet another set of projects for the poll-bound Bihar, including the long-awaited Kosi Rail Mahasetu connecting Kosi and Mithila regions.The Congress is now trying to play politics over the APMC Act but it had promised to repeal it in its 2019 election manifesto, the PM said in his second statement on the issue in less than 24 hours. He also said the APMC Act had been done away with in Bihar by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, giving farmers freedom of choice in the state.Taking charge of the matter amid a growing war of words, the PM last evening had sent out a series of messages after Akali leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from his Cabinet, labelling the three legislations anti-farmers. Seeking to downplay differences with the Akali Dal, BJP leaders said “they are and will continue to talk” with their ally to “address its concerns”.“The PM always wanted to remove the middleman culture from the system. There is no going back (on the three legislations),” said BJP sources.“While the Akali Dal has openly voiced insecurity about its political future,” BJP sources said their party “never makes the first move in ending any alliance”, and this despite the PM’s words cautioning “farmers against vested interests” also being deciphered as a message for the NDA’s Punjab ally.