News Analysis India

Tag: Farm Laws 2020

  • Tweet in favour of protesting farmers: AAP to Sachin Tendulkar

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: AAP leader Preeti Sharma Menon has written a letter to cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar asking him to tweet in favour of protesting farmers as demanded by a young man who reportedly protested outside the former India captains residence here on Monday.

    Sharma Menon said the man, Ranjeet Bagal, came all the way from Pandharpur in Solapur district, around 400km from Mumbai, to request Tendulkar to put out at least one tweet in support of the farmers protesting against the Centre’s new agriculture laws near Delhi for more than two months now.

    In a photo shared by the AAP, Bagal can be seen holding in his hands a poster which questions Tendulkar when he will tweet in support of farmers.

    आम आदमी पार्टी च्या राष्ट्रीय नेत्या प्रीति शर्मा मेनन यांनी सचिन तेंडुलकर यांना पत्र लिहून शेतकऱ्यांच्या समर्थनार्थ ट्वीट करण्याची विनंती केली आहे.#म@AAPMaharashtra @PreetiSMenon #Farmers#KisanAndolan pic.twitter.com/RmqhmvkNeb
    — Dhananjay RamKrishna Shinde (@Dhananjay4AAP) February 8, 2021

    The poster also bears the name of the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, a farmer organisation led by former MP Raju Shetti.

    Preeti Sharma Menon has endorsed Ranjeet’s request and has written an open letter to Sachin Tendulkar, imploring him to tweet in favour of our farmers who are protesting, a statement from the AAP said.

    Several celebrities, including Tendulkar, and legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, recently rallied around the central government on social media using hashtags #IndiaTogether and #IndiaAgainstPropaganda following tweets by American pop singer Rihanna and climate activist Greta Thunberg who had backed the agitating farmers.

  • Do not link farmers’ stir with any religion, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal urges PM Narendra Modi

    By PTI
    FAZILKA: Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to link the agitation against the farm laws with any religion or community and said he should instead focus on giving ‘justice’ to farmers.

    The SAD chief told reporters here that farmers are on one platform against the Centre’s three contentious agricultural laws.

    “We should all be clear that farmers are fighting for the welfare of the ‘annadaata’ at large and we should not try to divide this struggle by trying to limit it to one religion or community,” Badal appealed to the PM while adding that he should instead focus on ensuring ‘justice’ to farmers.

    ALSO READ: At Singhu border, Rakesh Tikait’s cutouts, posters and badges of farmers stir draw crowd

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday had slammed those abusing agitating Sikh farmers, saying it won’t do the country any good as he went on to appeal to the protesting farmers to withdraw their over two-month-long stir and give the new agriculture reform laws a chance.

    Thousands of farmers have been protesting since late November at the Delhi borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, demanding a rollback of three farm laws.

    The protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system, leaving them at the “mercy” of big corporations.

    ALSO READ: No ‘ghar wapsi’ till farmers’ demands are met, says BKU leader Rakesh Tikait

    SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, who was here to address ward-level meetings ahead of the February 14 civic body polls in the state, also slammed the ruling Congress, accusing it of unleashing ‘goondaism’.

    He urged the SAD workers to be resolute and ensure the victory of Akali candidates.

    He alleged that even though there was a ‘complete collapse’ of the law and order and the State Election Commission (SEC) had ‘abrogated’ its constitutional duty, the SAD will not be cowed down by such ‘tactics’.

    ALSO READ: Ready to take agitation across the nation, says Rakesh Tikait

    He said the officers who ‘murdered democracy’ and its institutions at the instance of the Congress party will be taken to task once the SAD formed a government in the state.

    Meanwhile, the SAD complained to the State Election Commission (SEC) regarding alleged changing of wards of many voters in Batala and urged it to immediately take action.

    In a complaint, SAD’s senior vice-president and spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema said it is forwarding a complaint in this regard from MLA Batala Lakhbir Singh Lodhinangal, in which he has mentioned how the ruling party is ‘trying to change’ wards of several hundred voters even after allotment of election symbol to the candidates.

  • ‘Informal’ school started by farmers’ group at Singhu border resumes after two-week break

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A makeshift ‘informal’ school at Delhi’s Singhu border, where farmers have been protesting the new agri laws, has resumed after a two-week break with less children owing to the tense situation following the tractor parade violence on Republic Day.

    A group of farmers from Punjab’s Anandpur Sahib had in December started the school in a makeshift tent for school going children who had accompanied their parents to the Singhu border protest site and those living in the slums nearby.

    Pioneered by writer Bir Singh and advocate Dinesh Chaddha, the temporary school is part of the multiple ‘sewa’ practices being offered at the protest site.

    ALSO READ: At Singhu border, Rakesh Tikait’s cutouts, posters and badges of farmers stir draw crowd

    Sukhwinder Singh Barwa, a resident of Roop Nagar district in Punjab, said they resumed the classes on February 5.

    “We started the school in the first week of December. There were over 170 students studying here. Due to the tense situation on Republic Day, we closed it on January 24. It was later resumed on Friday,” Barwa said.

    He said there were 30 local students who have never been to school before.

    ALSO READ: No ‘ghar wapsi’ till farmers’ demands are met, says BKU leader Rakesh Tikait

    “As the schools have opened and the internet was suspended here, most of the students who came here from Punjab and other states have gone back to attend their classes and to prepare for their upcoming exams. Now around 60 students come here. They are from class 1 to 7,” he said.

    The timing of classes is from 11 am to 4 pm.

    “During morning hours from 8 am to 11 am, there is library time where people read books whatever they want according to the availability. Earlier, we used to get almost every newspaper, however, after the restrictions were imposed, we only get few Hindi and Punjabi papers,” Barwa said.

    ALSO READ: Ready to take agitation across the nation, says Rakesh Tikait

    “We are teaching students general subjects, including morale science and languages. We also have the history books of different religions and those who are interested can read them. There are eight to nine teachers who teach students in a group of 10 according to their class,” he added.

    Its not just academic learning at the makeshift school but skill learning too.

    “Many students have tried their hands in painting also and they have done a really good job. They have created several beautiful pictures on charts which we have displayed at ‘Sanjhi Sath’, the place where classes being held. Several people come here by their own and draw pictures and write slogans on charts,” Barwa said.

    ‘Sanjhi Sath’ is a reference in Punjabi used for a place where people gather to have discussions.

    Maninder Singh, a resident of Ludhiana in Punjab, said children love them a lot.

    “Sunday is a holiday, but yesterday many students came to the school and urged us to take their classes. They wanted to study. We have not planned for the future when the protest will end, but we will do something for the children” he said.

    Maninder said the volunteers came in contact with each other at the protest site and started doing their work.

    Thousands of protesting farmers had clashed with the police during the tractor rally called by farmer unions on January 26 to highlight their demand for repeal of the Centre’s three farm laws.

    Many protesters, driving tractors, reached the Red Fort and entered the monument.

    Some protesters even hoisted religious flags on its domes and the flagstaff at the ramparts, where the national flag is unfurled by the prime minister on Independence Day.

  • PM Narendra Modi betrayed farmers by saying nothing about their problems: Congress

    Mallikarjun Kharge said PM Narendra Modi never bothered about the issues raised by the Congress and only talked about what he thought.

  • Centre waging war against farmers, BJP chief JP Nadda faking love for them: TMC

    JP Nadda had flagged off the BJP #39;s #39;Paribartan Yatra #39; from Nabadwip and addressed a farmers #39; rally in Malda on Saturday.

  • TMC reacts to PM Narendra Modi barb, tells him to show ‘Mamta’ to farmers

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: The ruling TMC in West Bengal on Sunday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his hard-hitting comments against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and urged him to soften his stand on the ongoing stir against farm laws and show some “Mamta” (compassion) towards agitating farmers.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the day made a scathing attack at the TMC government, saying it has “criminalised politics, institutionalised corruption and politicised the police” and said the people of the state expected ‘Mamta’ from Mamata Banerjee but got ‘nirmamta’ (cruelty) instead in the last ten years.

    Reacting to Modi’s barb, Senior TMC MP and spokesperson Saugata Roy said the people of Bengal would show the BJP “Red card during the elections”.

    “Instead of blaming Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the Prime Minister should soften his stand on farmers issue and show some ‘Mamta’ towards the agitating farmers, who are protesting for the last 70 days.

    “So many farmers have died, but we could not see Modiji’s ‘Mamta’. When so many people died during demonetisation in 2016, we did not see any ‘Mamta’ from him. The less he talks about ‘Mamta’, the better it will be,” Roy said.

    While speaking about PM Modi claiming that “people will show ‘Ram Card’ as the TMC government has committed several fouls”, he said the people of Bengal would show “red card to the BJP in the assembly polls”.

    Referring to allegations that Banerjee lost her cool after hearing “Bharat Mata ki Jai” slogans, he said these are baseless allegations.

    “Mamata Banerjee has never lost her cool on hearing ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ slogans. It was when political-religious slogans such as ‘Jai Shri Ram’ are raised she gets angry. It is completely justified,” he said.

    Senior TMC leader and MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said when Uttarakhand’s people are battling calamity, PM Modi was busy doing politics in West Bengal.

    The CPI(M) leadership denied the allegations of “match-fixing” between them and the TMC and said it is the Trinamool Congress that has helped the saffron party grow in Bengal.

    “Why are both the TMC and the BJP bothered about the CPI (M)? Both have said that the Left has ceased to exist in Bengal.

    “The Left has never compromised with the TMC in Bengal, it is the BJP which had an alliance with the Trinamool Congress till a few years back,” CPI(M) Legislative party leader Sujan Chakraborty said.

  • What can be bigger offer than suspending farm laws for 18 months: Union Minister Som Parkash

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: Union Minister Som Parkash on Sunday said the government is ready for talks with the agitating farmers and asked whether there can be an offer bigger than suspending the contentious agriculture laws for 18 months.

    He said the government was making sincere efforts to resolve the issue.

    “The government is ready for talks,” Parkash said addressing a press conference here.

    “We offered to suspend the laws for one-and-half years and constitute a committee with farmers’ representatives on these laws. What can be a bigger offer than this?” he added.

    His statement comes a day after protesting farmer unions said they were ready to resume talks with the government, but asked it to come up with a fresh proposal as the existing offer to put the three farm laws on hold for 12-18 months is not acceptable to them.

    Parkash, the Union minister of state for Commerce, was part of the three-member ministerial team which held several rounds of negotiations with the farmers’ leaders.

    Parkash, who is a Lok Sabha MP from Punjab’s Hoshiarpur parliamentary constituency, said the farm legislations were passed by Parliament and a due process was followed.

    “The law is not framed by raising hands. There is a system in the country,” he added.

    The union minister said the government enacted the laws keeping in view the interest of the whole country.

    Thousands of farmers have been protesting since late November at the Delhi borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, demanding a rollback of the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

    They have expressed apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system, leaving them at the “mercy” of big corporations.

    To a question on the upcoming municipal polls in Punjab, Parkash said the farmers’ agitation should not be linked with the elections.

    The government had brought these laws in the interest of the farming community, he said.

    The minister slammed the ruling Congress in Punjab, accusing it of ‘orchestrating’ the protest against the BJP leaders in the state.

    “The police is acting at the behest of the state government,” he alleged.

    A group of farmers in Hoshiarpur on Saturday had shouted slogans against the BJP outside a venue where party leaders, including Parkash, had come for a public meeting.

    Elections to the eight municipal corporations and 109 municipal councils and nagar panchayats in the state will be held on February 14.

  • PM Narendra Modi, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari should hold talks with farm unions: NCP chief Sharad Pawar

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior Union ministers like Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari should hold talks with farmers’ unions to resolve the deadlock over ongoing protest against the three new agriculture laws.

    He said differences regarding the implementation of agriculture reforms can be resolved through deliberations.

    Pawar was speaking to reporters in Baramati, his hometown in Pune district.

    “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior ministers like Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari should hold talks with farmers’ organisations,” he said.

    “Piyush Goyal is from Mumbai and I don’t know how much he knows about agriculture,” he said.

    Goyal and a few other union ministers have been holding talks with the farmer representatives to break the impasse.

    Pawar said agriculture was a state subject and laws should be enacted after consultations with the state governments.

    “There can be differences over implementation of agriculture reforms, which can be resolved through deliberations,” the former Union agriculture minister said.

    According to him, laws for agriculture reforms were being discussed since 2003 when Vajpayee was the prime minister.

    “In my time, discussions used to take place with the state governments since agriculture is a state subject. A committee of agriculture ministers of nine states was formed to study and prepare a draft law, which was headed by the then Maharashtra minister Harshvardhan Patil.

    “The draft was prepared and states were asked to discuss it. But the present government has prepared its own law and got it passed in the Parliament amid chaos and without discussion,” he said.

    “There was no consultation and the states were not taken into confidence. Agriculture reforms have to be done when required. Differences if any can be resolved through talks,” he said.

    When asked about BJP leader Narayan Rane’s remark that Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Sindhudurg on Sunday would be a good omen to pave the way for fall of the MVA government in the state, Pawar said, “Rane is an old colleague and I didn’t know that he cracks such jokes. His remarks should be seen as a political joke and nothing more than that.”

  • At Singhu border, Rakesh Tikait’s cutouts, posters and badges of farmers stir draw crowd

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The demand for cutouts of Rakesh Tikait at Singhu border underlines the growing popularity of the farmer leader credited with reviving the farmers’ movement against the Centre’s farm laws following violence during a tractor rally on Republic Day.

    Roadside stalls selling badges, posters and other literature related to the farmers stir are a common sight at Singhu border.

    Wasim Ali, who has set up such a stall at the protest site, says hand-held cutouts of Tikait are a big hit among the crowd.

    “Each cutout of Tikait is priced at Rs 20. I have been selling the cutouts since the last few days as they are in high demand,” he said. Around 700-800 such cutouts are sold every day, said Ali, a resident of Bawana in north west Delhi.

    ALSO READ: No ‘ghar wapsi’ till farmers’ demands are met, says BKU leader Rakesh Tikait

    “I usually buy these cutouts from Sadar Bazar and sell them here. These are the most demanded items at my stall,” he added.

    Tikait’s image received a massive boost after he defiantly announced to continue the agitation, even as a large posse of Uttar Pradesh police personnel gathered at Ghazipur protest site after the Republic Day violence, with rumours rife that he might be arrested.

    A section of protesting farmers had entered Delhi and reached up to ITO and Red Fort in the heart of the national capital during their tractor rally on January 26.

    In clashes between police and farmers, scores were injured and property, including buses, were vandalised.

    The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader was unwell when a large number of UP police personnel gathered at Ghazipur border where he had been camping for over two months in protest against the contentious farm laws.

    ALSO READ: Ready to take agitation across the nation, says Rakesh Tikait

    A cornered Tikait, however, addressed a huge crowd at the protest site, which has now become a focal point of the agitation, after his teary-eyed speech was beamed by news channels amid dwindled presence at Ghazipur border after the January 26 violent clashes.

    He had reaffirmed the resolve of the farmers, saying “they won’t relent or retreat”.

    Tikait’s emotional appeal galvanised thousands of farmers from western UP as well as Punjab and Haryana, who took to road to join the agitation that had faced the threat of petering out in the wake of the January 26 episode.

  • Mia Khalifa reiterates support for farmers protest amid criticism

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Former adult star Mia Khalifa on Friday said she is “still standing with the farmers” after her comments, criticising the treatment being meted to the protesting farmers, drew sharp reactions.

    A tweet by international pop star Rihanna on Tuesday, triggered a wave of support for protesting farmers with a number of global celebrities, activists and politicians expressing their solidarity with them.

    Khalifa too had shared a tweet.

    The government had criticised the tweets by Rihanna and other celebrities, saying facts on the issue must be ascertained before people rushing to comment on the issue, calling it “neither accurate nor responsible”.

    Khalifa, 27, took to Twitter again and shared a picture from a protest by a group of people, holding placards and posters of her, Rihanna and Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg.

    Confirming I have in fact regained consciousness, and would like to thank you for your concern, albeit unnecessary. Still standing with the farmers, though pic.twitter.com/ttZnYeVLRP
    — Mia K. (@miakhalifa) February 4, 2021

    One of the placards read, “Mia Khalifa regains consciousness.”

    She quipped about the gaffe and wrote, “Confirming I have in fact regained consciousness, and would like to thank you for your concern, albeit unnecessary. Still standing with the farmers, though.”

    Khalifa had earlier criticised the internet shutdown at protest sites and tweeted, “What in the human rights violations is going on?!” In a subsequent tweet on Wednesday, the Lebanese American artiste had also slammed those who called farmers “paid actors.”

    What in the human rights violations is going on?! They cut the internet around New Delhi?! #FarmersProtest pic.twitter.com/a5ml1P2ikU
    — Mia K. (@miakhalifa) February 3, 2021

    “‘Paid actors’ huh? Quite the casting director, I hope they’re not overlooked during awards season. I stand with the farmers. #FarmersProtest,” she had written.

    Meena Harris, an American lawyer and niece of US Vice President Kamala Harris, actress Amanda Cerni, singers Jay Sean and Dr Zeus and Hollywood star John Cusack have also voiced their support to the protesting farmers.

    Tens of thousands of farmers have been protesting at three border points on the outskirts of Delhi demanding a complete repeal of the three farm laws.