News Analysis India

Tag: Agri Laws

  • Undeterred by cold weather, rains, protesting farmers warn to intensify stir further

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Camping at protest venues near Delhi borders for around 40 days, braving severe cold and sporadic rains, farmers have asserted that their stir against the farm laws will intensify in the coming days, even as they deferred Wednesday’s proposed tractor march over a bad weather forecast.

    The deadlock continues as the seventh round of talks with the Centre remained inconclusive, with the farmer groups sticking to their demand for the repeal of the three new laws, and the government listing out various benefits of the new Acts.

    The national capital, meanwhile, reels under a spell of harsh winter.

    The city woke up on Wednesday to the rumble of thunder and the sound of hailstones hitting rooftops and windows as it received rainfall for the fourth consecutive day.

    ​ALSO READ | Farmers gear up for R-Day showdown, to hold ‘rehearsal’ tractor rally on Thursday

    The rains, caused by a strong western disturbance, come on the back of a “severe” cold wave that gripped Delhi in the run-up to New Year.

    On Friday, the mercury had plummeted to 1.1 degrees Celsius, the lowest in 15 years for January.

    On Tuesday, the protesting farmers said they were deferring their proposed tractor march from January 6 to January 7 due to a bad weather forecast.

    Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and some other parts of the country have been camping at several Delhi border points since November 28, demanding repeal of the farm laws, a legal guarantee on minimum support price for their crops and other two issues.

    Last week, the government agreed to exclude farmers from penal provisions of the Air Quality Management ordinance and to not pursue the draft Electricity Bill.

    Since the farmers arrived at the national capital’s borders, the Delhi Traffic Police has been posting alerts on its official Twitter handle to inform commuters about road closures across the city.

    In a series of tweets on Wednesday, it said Singhu, Auchandi, Piau Maniyari, Saboli and Mangesh borders were closed for traffic movement.

    ALSO WATCH:

    “Please take alternate route via Lampur Safiabad, Palla & Singhu school toll tax borders. Traffic has been diverted from Mukarba & GTK road. Please avoid Outer Ring Road, GTK Road & NH-44.

    “The Chilla and Ghazipur borders are closed for traffic coming from Noida & Ghaziabad to Delhi because of farmer protests. Please take alternate route for coming to Delhi via Anand Vihar, DND, Bhopra & Loni Borders,” the traffic police said.

    It said Tikri and Dhansa borders are also closed for traffic movement.

    “Jhatikara Border is open only for LMV (Cars/Light Motor Vehicles), two wheelers and pedestrian movement,” another tweet read.

    According to the traffic police, people travelling to Haryana can take the routes via Jharoda (only single carriageway), Daurala, Kapashera, Badusarai, Rajokri NH-8, Bijwasan/Bajghera, Palam Vihar and Dundahera borders.

  • Will convene Assembly against farm laws: Mamata Banerjee

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA: Continuing her tirade against the Centre over the new farm laws, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said arrangements would soon be made to convene an assembly session to pass a resolution against the contentious legislations.

    With assembly polls knocking at the door, Banerjee also hinted that she was ready to implement the PM-Kisan scheme in Bengal, and said she had asked the Centre to share details of all those who have registered themselves on the Union government’s portal for the programme.

    Banerjee, however, asserted that said she would never allow the implementation of the three farm laws, which have sparked protests across the country.

    “We are against those farm laws. We would soon convene an assembly session for a day or two and pass a resolution against the anti-farmer laws,” Banerjee said.

    Bengal, if it passes the resolution, would become the sixth state in the country to do so, after Kerala, Delhi, Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.

    The CM’s remarks came on a day when the seventh round of talks between protesting unions and three central ministers ended inconclusively, as farmer groups stuck to their demand for repeal of the three farm laws, while the government listed out various benefits of the new Acts for the growth of the country’s agriculture sector. “I support the farmers and want the withdrawal of these three laws for the sake of the country,” she said.

  • SC accepts petition sent to CJI seeking inquiry against Haryana Police for using water cannons on farmers

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court accepted a letter petition sent to Chief Justice of India SA Bobde by a group of students from Punjab seeking an inquiry against Haryana Police for using water cannons, tear gases shells on farmers to stop them from proceeding to Delhi to protest against the Centre’s newly-enacted farm laws.

    The students wrote an open letter to the CJI and urged that Haryana and Delhi police withdraw all the cases against farmers which were registered under alleged political vendetta.

    The letter, written by former and current human rights students of the Centre for Human Rights and Duties, Punjab University, also asked that the cases of illegal detention of protesters be looked into.

    The letter signed by Gurmohan Preet Singh and 34 other students requested that the governments at both Central and State level ensure the safety of all protesters, and provide basic amenities for all, especially women, children and elderly. It also asked for mobile toilet vans to be provided at protest places.

    “Issue appropriate guidelines, as the court may deem fit, regarding hygienic conditions at protest sites in the backdrop of COVID-19. Take an action to curb fake news and against media channels, engaged in misrepresentation, polarisation and sensationalisation of the whole issue,” it stated.

    They sought top court’s immediate intervention to protect “gross neglect of human rights”.

    “We, being students of human rights are very much disturbed and disheartened by witnessing the execrable way in which the government of India is dealing with its own farmers, who are protesting much peacefully as per their constitutional rights,” the letter said.

    Farmers’ protest at several Delhi borders has been going on for over a month. 

  • Ahead of eighth-round talks, farmers unions reiterate demand repeal of farm laws

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Leaders of farmers unions on Monday reiterated that nothing less than the repeal of Central farm laws will be acceptable to them.

    Ahead of the eighth-round of talks with the Central government over the issue, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson, Rakesh Tikait said, “Many issues are to be discussed today. The government must understand, the farmer has taken this movement to his heart and won’t consider less than the repeal of these laws. The government should implement Swaminathan’s report and make law on MSP.”

    ALSO READ | Farmers try to break barricades in Haryana, police fire tear gas shells

    Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee’s Joint Secretary Sukhwinder S Sabra also threatened to hold a tractor march if the demands of the unions weren’t met.

    “Our demands are the same as before – repeal the three farm laws and guarantee MSP. If our demands aren’t met, then, we’ll hold tractor march on January 6 and also on January 26,” he said.

    The meeting between the unions and the Central government is scheduled to take place today afternoon.

    ALSO READ | Chilla, Ghazipur borders closed due to farmers’ protest: Delhi Traffic Police

    Despite rains and the ongoing cold wave across North India, farmers agitating against the Centre’s farm laws stood strong at the borders of the national capital and continued their protest for the last 39 days.

    So far, several rounds of talks have been held between the Central government and the farmer unions.

    With concerns that farm laws would weaken the MSP and mandi systems and leave the farmers at the mercy of big corporates, farmers have been protesting at different borders of the national capital for over a month against the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. 

  • Sonia Gandhi tells Centre there is still time to drop arrogance, withdraw farm laws unconditionally

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Congress on Sunday accused the Centre of being apathetic towards farmers protesting the new farm laws in harsh weather conditions, with party chief Sonia Gandhi saying that for the first time since independence such an “arrogant” government has come to power that cannot see the sufferings of ‘annadatas’.

    She also demanded that the new farm laws be immediately withdrawn unconditionally.

    In a scathing attack on the Centre over the farmers’ protests, Gandhi said governments and their leaders who ignore public sentiments in a democracy cannot govern for long and it is now quite clear that the protesting farmers will not bow in the face of the Centre’s policy of “tire and pushover”.

    “There is still time, the Modi government should leave the arrogance of power and immediately withdraw the three black laws unconditionally to end the agitation of the farmers who are dying in the cold and rain. This is Rajdharma and a true tribute to the farmers who have lost their lives,” she said in a statement in Hindi.

    The Modi government should remember that democracy means protecting the interests of the people and the farmers-workers, the Congress president said.

    In the wake of the government’s “apathy”, so far, more than 50 farmers have lost their lives with some even taking the extreme step due to the government’s neglect, she said.

    “But neither the heartless Modi government relented nor the Prime Minister or any other minister uttered a word of consolation till today.

    I pay my respects to all the deceased farmer brothers and pray to God to give their families the strength to bear this sorrow,” Gandhi said.

    Earlier, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi compared the ongoing farmers’ protests against the three new Central agriculture-related laws with the Champaran agitation during the British rule and said every farmer-labourer part of the current movement is a ‘satyagrahi’ and they will take their rights back.

    “The country is going to face a Champaran-like tragedy. British were ‘company Bahadur’ back then and now Modi-friends are ‘company Bahadur’,” he alleged in a tweet in Hindi.

    “But, every farmer-labourer of the movement is a ‘satyagrahi’ who will take back their rights,” the former Congress chief said.

    The Champaran Satyagraha of 1917 was led by Mahatma Gandhi and is considered a historic event in India’s independence movement.

    It was a farmer’s uprising that took place in Champaran district of Bihar during the British colonial period when the farmers protested having to grow indigo with barely any payment for it.

    In another tweet, Rahul Gandhi alleged that the Modi government which is “unable to give the legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) to farmers” is giving “fixed price to its industrialist friends to run foodgrain godowns”.

    Government Mandis are either being closed down or foodgrains are not being purchased, he alleged.

    “Why the lack of attention to farmers and sympathy for suit-boot friends,” Rahul Gandhi said in the tweet in Hindi.

    Congress’ chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also hit out at the government over the farmers’ plight, saying that at the Tikri border amid nearly zero degree temperature and torrential rains, farmers were forced to protest in a semi-naked state.

    “When will those in power feel ashamed, who have crossed the limits of autocracy by calling this movement of the farmers ‘event’,” he said in a tweet in Hindi.

    At a press briefing, Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh urged the government to show empathy towards protesting farmers, repeal the three laws and provide a legal guarantee of MSP.

    He said the government agreeing to make amendments to the farm laws showed that there was a problem in them and they should be repealed.

    Vallabh alleged that the government was deliberately delaying talks over the new farm laws, which he demanded should be repealed and new ones brought in after thorough consultation with the agriculturists and following proper parliamentary procedure.

    Hitting out at the government for holding talks with farmers with intervals of days and not heeding to Chhattisgarh’s repeated requests for procurement, the Congress leader said, “The government is in New Year, will talk to farmers on January 4 because ‘we remain in New Year hangover on January 1, 2 and 3′.”

    The Congress has been seeking the repeal of the three new farm laws, alleging that they will ruin farming and the farmers.

    The Congress is also supporting the farmers’ agitation against the legislations.

    After the sixth round of formal negotiations on Wednesday, the government and farm unions reached some common ground to resolve protesting farmers’ concerns over rise in power tariff and penalties for stubble burning, but the two sides remained deadlocked over the main contentious issues of the repeal of the new farm laws and a legal guarantee for MSP.

    Braving the cold, thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, are protesting at various borders of the national capital for more than a month against these laws.

    The government has presented these laws as major agriculture sector reforms aimed at helping farmers and increasing their income, but the protesting unions fear that the new legislations will leave them at the mercy of big corporates by weakening the MSP and mandi systems.

  • Haryana Police uses teargas to stop farmers’ group from moving towards Delhi

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: Haryana Police on Sunday evening fired teargas canisters to thwart a march of a group of agitating farmers towards Delhi at Masani barrage in Rewari district.

    Farmers first broke police barricades put up near Bhudla Sangwari village and then started moving towards Delhi in the evening.

    They have been camping at the service lane of the Delhi-Jaipur highway for the past few days, police said.

    When the farmers’ group reached Masani barrage where the barricades were put up, police used teargas to disperse them.

    ALSO READ: Will burn copies of new farm laws on Lohri – Farmer leaders

    “We have stopped them (farmers) at Masani,” Rewari Superintendent of Police Abhishek Jorwal said over the phone.

    On December 31, a group of farmers had broken police barricades at the Shahjahanpur border with Rajasthan, trying to move towards the national capital.

    Police had then too resorted to teargas shelling as well as using water cannons to stop them.

    ALSO READ: To keep farmers’ spirit alive, women kabaddi tournament goes on despite rains at Singhu border

    A large number of farmers from Rajasthan, Haryana and some other places have been protesting on the Jaipur-Delhi highway for the past several days, demanding the repeal of new farm laws.

    They have been camping at the Rajasthan-Haryana border point after police had earlier stopped them from proceeding towards Delhi as part of their “Delhi Chalo” march against the new farm laws.

  • People stand with protesting farmers, PM Narendra Modi’s misconception will be cleared: Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot

    By PTI
    JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday said that the “misconception” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah will get cleared as people of the country were with the farmers protesting in Delhi against the farm laws passed by the Centre.

    He said it is “height of insensitivity” of the Centre that even after 39 days of farmers protest, it is not paying any heed.

    The government believes that farmers will get tired and the issue will gradually meet an end.

    “Farmers are sensible that they are protesting peacefully. The feelings of people in six lakh villages are with the protesting farmers. Misconception of Modi ji and Shah ji will get cleared in the times to come,” Gehlot said here.

    The Congress organised a day-long protest on Sunday in support of farmers against the farm laws.

    Congress leader and former deputy CM Sachin Pilot also joined the protest organised by state Congress at Shaheed Smarak here.

    CM Gehlot said the Centre does not have the right to decide the fate of farmers.

    He said the “fascist” government at the Centre does not believe in democracy and wants to destroy the country.

    They are working to divide Hindu and Muslims and their intention is not right, Gehlot said.

    He said that this time the government has messed up with farmers, who are wise enough and no one is instigating them.

    The situation is serious so Congress wants to give a message that each party worker is with farmers and will join the protests with them if it is necessitated, he added.

    Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra said the Central government was not paying heed to farmers as it was working to give benefit to the big industrialists.

    He said the NDA government in its previous term had to withdraw a land acquisition bill owing to protests and in the same manner the government will have to take back the farm laws.

    Dotasra said the party will keep supporting farmers untill the new laws are not taken back.

    Congress leader Pilot said the Centre enacted the farm laws in an “autocratic manner”.

    The CM advocated that farmers should get more than the fair price for their produce.

    The Centre should withdraw the farm laws and if supporting farmers is politics, then Congress will continue to do it.

  • On eve of talks with farmers, Narendra Singh Tomar meets Rajnath Singh to discuss govt strategy to end deadlock

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A day before the crucial seventh round of talks between the Centre and protesting farmer unions, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday and discussed the government strategy to resolve the current crisis at the earliest, sources said.

    Tomar discussed with Singh “all possible options” to find a “middle path” to resolve the crisis, sources added.

    Singh, who served as agriculture minister in the erstwhile Atal Bihari Vajpayee cabinet, has emerged as a key troubleshooter and is working mostly behind the scenes on this issue.

    ALSO READ: Will burn copies of new farm laws on Lohri – Farmer leaders

    Protesting farmers who have been camping at Delhi borders for the last 39 days braving bone-chilling cold and now rains have threatened to intensify their protest if their two major demands — repeal of the three new farm laws and legal backing for the minimum support price (MSP) — are not accepted by the government in the January 4 meeting.

    Rains since Saturday night led to waterlogging at the agitation venues, but the unions asserted that “we will not move from here until our demands are met”.

    After five rounds of inconclusive talks, the government and 40 farmer unions reached some common ground during the sixth round of negotiations on December 30 to resolve protesting farmers’ concerns over rise in power tariff and penalties for stubble burning, but the two sides remained deadlocked over the main contentious issues of the repeal of the three farm laws and a legal guarantee for MSP.

    ALSO READ: To keep farmers’ spirit alive, women kabaddi tournament goes on despite rains at Singhu border

    On January 1, Tomar had told PTI that the government is hopeful of a “positive outcome” at its next meeting with farmers’ unions on January 4 but refrained from predicting whether the seventh round of talks will be the last one.

    Asked whether he expects the January 4 meeting to be the last one, the minister said, “I cannot say for sure now. I am not an astrologer. I am hopeful that whatever decision would be arrived at (in the meeting) will be in the interest of the country and of the farmers.”

    Last week, protesting farmer unions issued an “ultimatum” that they will march into Delhi with a “tractor parade” on the Republic Day if their demands are not met in the next round of talks.

    ALSO READ: Rains, waterlogging cause inconvenience to farmers protesting at Delhi borders

    “The farmers’ movement delivered an ultimatum to the Government of India and announced that farmers will march into Delhi on January 26,” Sankyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of around 40 protesting unions, had said in a statement.

    Thousands of farmers have been protesting at various borders of the national capital for more than a month demanding repeal of the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act.

    Enacted in September 2020, the government has presented these laws as major farm reforms and aimed at increasing farmers’ income, but protesting farmers have raised concerns that these legislations would weaken the MSP and mandi systems and leave them at the mercy of big corporates.

    ALSO READ: Uttarakhand farmers start free bus service to Delhi protest site

    The government has maintained these apprehensions are misplaced and has ruled out repealing the laws.

    While several opposition parties and people from other walks of life have come out in support of the farmers, some farmer groups have also met Agriculture Minister Tomar over the last few weeks to extend their support for the three laws.

  • Three more protesting farmers die at Delhi border

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: Three more farmers, who were part of the protests at the Delhi borders against the Centre’s new farm laws, have died, police said on Sunday.

    One of the farmers died of cardiac arrest, another was suffering from fever while the cause of the death of the third farmer could only be ascertained after post-mortem, they added.

    The deceased were identified as Shamsher Singh (around 45 years of age), a resident of Lidhra village in Punjab’s Sangrur district, Jashandeep Singh (18), a resident of Chauke village in Punjab’s Bathinda district, and Jagbir Singh (60), a resident of Jind in Haryana, the police said.

    ALSO READ: Will burn copies of new farm laws on Lohri – Farmer leaders

    Shamsher was part of the protests at the Singhu border while Jagbir was participating in the agitation at the Tikri border.

    Shamsher had complained of chest pain on Sunday morning, a police official said, adding that the cause of his death could only be established after post-mortem.

    Jagbir passed away at the Tikri border, an official of the Bahadurgarh police station said.

    ALSO READ: To keep farmers’ spirit alive, women kabaddi tournament goes on despite rains at Singhu border

    He died of a heart attack, the police official said, adding that the body was handed over to his family after post-mortem.

    Jashandeep died on Saturday evening, the police said, adding that he had gone to support the agitating farmers at the Tikri border.

    Jashandeep was suffering from fever and was taken to the PGIMS, Rohtak, where he breathed his last.

    ALSO READ: Rains, waterlogging cause inconvenience to farmers protesting at Delhi borders

    Farmers from different parts of the country, including Haryana and Punjab, have been camping at various border points of Delhi for more than a month now to demand a repeal of the three recent farm laws of the Centre.

    Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda urged the Centre to accept the farmers’ demand.

    Talking to the media in Sonipat, he said the situation has become “worrisome” while pointing out that some of the protesting farmers have died in the last 24 hours.

    ALSO READ: Uttarakhand farmers start free bus service to Delhi protest site

    Hooda urged the government to scrap the farm laws without further delay.

  • Will burn copies of new farm laws on Lohri: Farmer leaders

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Farmer leaders protesting at Delhi’s Singhu border on Sunday said they will celebrate the festival of Lohri on January 13 by burning copies of newly introduced agriculture laws.

    They also said they will observe the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on January 23 as ‘Azad Hind Kisan Diwas’ “We will celebrate the Lohri festival on January 13 by burning the copies of farm laws,” farmers’ leader Manjeet Singh Rai said.

    Rai also urged people to hold protests in support of farmers across India from January 6 to 20.

    Lohri is mostly celebrated in north India, marking the beginning of the spring season.

    Bonfires are a special characteristic of the festival Another farmers’ leader Onkar Singh said, “Today is the 37th day of our protest. The government should leave its stubbornness. In these conditions, the farmers, including elders, have been sitting on protest, but the government is not concerned about it.”

    Braving the cold, thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, are protesting at various borders of the national capital for more than a month against the three farm laws.

    The farmers’ leaders said they are ready for Tuesday’s meeting with the government.

    ALSO READ: To keep farmers’ spirit alive, women kabaddi tournament goes on despite rains at Singhu border

    The next round of talks between the government and protesting farmer unions is scheduled to be held on January 4, Tuesday.

    On Friday last, the unions had announced that they would have to take firm steps if the meeting fails to resolve the deadlock.

    ALSO READ: Rains, waterlogging cause inconvenience to farmers protesting at Delhi borders

    “As the temperature is decreasing, we have tried to arrange the waterproof tents. We are also trying to arrange the blankets and warm water. Arrangements for 1,000 women have been made near the KFC with a tent and the mattresses,” farmers’ leader Harmeet Singh Kadian said.

    The protesting farmer unions on Saturday had said they will take out a tractor parade towards Delhi on January 26, when the country will celebrate Republic Day if their demands are not met.

    ALSO READ: Uttarakhand farmers start free bus service to Delhi protest site

    British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be in the national capital on January 26 as the chief guest at the Republic Day parade, which will be held at Rajpath.

    In a statement, the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) said the success of Tuesday’s talks depends entirely on the repeal of three farm laws.