News Analysis India

Tag: Farmers Protest

  • Mahatma Gandhi’s granddaughter extends support to agitating farmers, says visit to Ghazipur ‘apolitical’

    By ANI
    GHAZIABAD: Tara Gandhi Bhattacharya, granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi, reached the Ghazipur border on Saturday to extend her support to the farmers agitating against the central farm laws and said that her visit is “apolitical”.

    Bhattacharya reached the Ghazipur border with other workers of the Gandhi foundation.

    Speaking about the farm laws, she said: “I have not come here for any political party and there is no police escort with us. I am an 87-year-old senior citizen of this country. We have come here today for the farmers, who feed us all our life. If farmer brothers will not benefit, the country will not be benefitted.”

    “I always stand with the truth. I have absolutely no knowledge about politics,” she added. Bhattacharya also shared a stage with Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait during her visit to Ghazipur.

    Her visit comes two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Lok Sabha had said that the new farm laws have been brought to ease difficulties in agriculture and called upon protesting farmers to resume talks with the government over their demands.

    “We are working for the country. I once again urge farmers to come for talks and resolve the issues,” the Prime Minister had said to the debate in Lok Sabha on the motion of thanks on the President’s address.

    The government has offered to put the farm laws “on hold” for 12-18 months, an offer rejected by the farmers’ unions protesting against the laws. Several rounds of talks have been held with farmers over their demand for the repeal of three new laws.

    Farmers have been protesting on the different borders of the national capital since November 26 against the three newly enacted farm laws: 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. (ANI)

  • INTERVIEW| Centre’s willingness to amend farm laws means they are flawed: Punjab CM Amarinder Singh

    Express News Service
    CHANDIGARH: Attempts were made to give the farmers and their agitation a bad name but the Republic Day violence has only strengthened it, said Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. He said that anti-social elements seem to have been sponsored and instigated the violence.

    How has the Republic Day violence affected the farm movement?

    As you can see, the Republic day violence has only strengthened the movement. That’s what happens when you decide to destabilise a movement by breaking it. Attempts were made to give the farmers and their agitation a bad name by what seems to have been a sponsored violence, instigated by anti-social elements. All the major kisan unions had distanced themselves from the violence on the day it happened.

    And the reason is obvious, why should farmers who had been agitating peacefully, first in Punjab for months and then for two months at the Delhi borders, suddenly resort to violence? They knew they would achieve nothing with violence. In fact they were aware that they would lose popular support once they gave up their peaceful agitation.

    Further, the tightening of controls and the non-humanitarian acts of the central government against farmers in the wake of the Republic day violence has also backfired. The farmers have been pushed to the corner by such acts, which have brought a bad name to the entire country with even the UN taking notice of the developments at Delhi’s borders, where Internet has been suspended, nails and barricades have come up as never seen before, and farmers have been deprived even of basic amenities like toilets, electricity and water.

    ALSO READ| Some people agitating just for sake of protest: Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar

    With farmers refusing to come down from their maximalist demand of repeal of the laws, what is the way forward?

    Firstly, let’s not look at their demand as maximalist. Demands are either justified or not justified. And frankly, the demands of the farmers are totally justified in my opinion. The farm laws were introduced and enacted in a very unconstitutional manner, going completely against the spirit of federalism and democracy. So why should they not be repealed?

    Even the union government has admitted that these laws had lacuna, which they say they are ready to address. They have even said they are prepared to put them in abeyance for a year-and-a-half, so why not just withdraw them and start afresh? As for the way forward, dialogue is the only way to resolve any issue in a democracy so the two sides should continue talking. And I am happy to note that both sides have indicated their willingness to continue talking on all issues of conflict.

    Will you intervene if the Centre asks you?

    I have said it earlier also that the farmers do not want any political mediation. They have been talking to the union government directly and have kept their agitation totally apolitical. If they don’t want any intervention from our side, we cannot do anything about it.

    ALSO READ| Farmer unions demand high-level judicial inquiry into FIRs registered over R-Day violence

    Will the farm protests be the election decider in the 2022 Punjab assembly polls?

    The polls are still a year away and I hope the issue will be resolve long before that. I really hope the problem does not drag on and both sides sit across the table once again to find an early resolution.

    Do you think farmers should accept the government’s proposal to halt laws for 18 months?

    The farmers know what they want and why. They understand the dangers and implications of the farm laws better than anyone else so the decision has to be left to them. If the farmers feel they will not accept anything less than a repeal, then frankly I don’t see why the central government should stand on its prestige. If they are ready to halt the laws for 18 months then why not just revoke them and bring fresh laws after due discussion with all stakeholders?

    How do you view Punjab governor’s role in sitting over the state bills since October 2020?

    It’s very unfortunate. The governor should have simply forwarded the Bills to the President for assent immediately after all parties of Punjab submitted the same to him, the very day when the Vidhan Sabha passed the Bills. It is against the spirit of the constitution and beneath his high office to sit over the Bills.

    The Bills were passed under Article 254 (ii) of the constitution and are hence totally valid. During the UPA regime, several BJP-ruled states had passed amendments to centrally-enacted laws on land acquisition and the same were approved by then President Pranab Mukherjee in 2014.

    No Governor sat over those amendments. My government has now decided to bring the Bills again in the Assembly and we will send them again to the governor, who is then constitutionally bound to forward them to the President.

  • Union Minister Ramdas Athawale attacks Rahul Gandhi over ‘two friends’ jibe at PM Narendra Modi

    By PTI
    PUNE: Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Saturday said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was misleading farmers protesting against the Centre’s new agri marketing laws.

    Gandhi, speaking at a rally in Rupangarh in Rajasthan earlier in the day, had said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, through the three new farm laws, wanted to “hand over” the country’s agriculture sector to his “two friends”.

    Hitting out at Gandhi, Athawale said the allegations the Congress leader was making about big industrialists and the farm laws were aimed at misleading farmers.

    The Union minister was speaking to reporters in Pimpri Chinchwad.

  • PM Narendra Modi’s parasite reference has deeply hurt farmers: Union leaders

    By PTI
    GHAZIABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi referring to farmers as ‘parasites’ has deeply hurt the farming community, leaders of unions protesting against the Centre’s agriculture laws said on Saturday.

    They also called on the farming community to respond to the ‘diplomatic abuses’ with ‘diplomatic punishmen’ by rejecting the government.

    The remarks came as farmer leaders Darshan Pal, Balbir Singh Rajewal, Gurnam Singh Chaduni and Rakesh Tikait of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha held an interaction with the press at Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border.

    The farmer leaders also announced that on Sunday torch processions and candle marches will be organised across the country to pay homage to the soldiers who have laid down their lives in line of action and the farmers who have died during the ongoing stir on the Delhi borders since November.

    ALSO READ: Protestors won’t return home till agreement is reached, says BKU leader Rakesh Tikait

    “The event will be held from 7 pm to 8 pm,” the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) said in a statement.

    Farmer leader Darshan Pal said through the “kisan panchayats”, they are trying to put pressure on the government so that it accepts their demands and the protest could end.

    “Farmers of the entire country are involved in the movement,” he said.

    Referring to a discussion on the farmers’ movement in the British Parliament, Pal said, “The government should understand our problem.”

    Balbir Singh Rajewal said the prime minister has given ‘diplomatic gaaliyan’ (abuses) to farmers in Parliament.

    ALSO READ: Rakesh Tikait address ‘mahapanchayat’ at Kurukshetra, criticises PM Narendra Modi’s remark on protesters

    “By calling the farmers parasites, he has deeply hurt the entire farming community. The prime minister, through his statement, has given wounds to the farmers of the country that would be remembered for generations,” Rajewal said.

    He added that the government has given ‘diplomatic abuses’ to farmers, who should reject it and give a ‘diplomatic punishment’.

    Chaduni claimed that with the new laws, the entire business of farming will go to big corporates and the farmers would be left to fend for themselves.

    He was also apprehensive that the big corporates would hoard grains in warehouses and control price of crops according to their will.

    ALSO READ: PM Narendra Modi should ask MPs, MLAs to give up pension, use funds to support youth, says Rakesh Tikait

    “Farmers are not going to leave the borders of Delhi without having their demands met by the government,” he added.

    Tikait said the protesting farmers are ‘guests of Delhi’ who will keep coming to the national capital and going back to their homes to look after their farms.

    “We are holding farmers’ meetings across the country and will keep doing it until the demands are met. We are ready for talks with the government but the channel would remain same – the Singhu border,” Tikait said.

    He also said the Samyukta Kisan Morcha will provide a list of questions to farmers who will pose these to their elected representatives.

    He called on farmers to keep the momentum of the protests going, along with keeping an eye on their farms.

    The farmer leaders also expressed concern over protesters ‘missing’ since the January 26 violence in Delhi and those arrested by police in connection with the probe into the incident.

  • Farmers would have died even while staying back home: Haryana Agriculture Minister JP Dalal

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: In a controversial remark over farmers’ death at various protest sites, Haryana Agriculture Minister JP Dalal on Saturday said they would have died even if they had stayed back home.

    Dalal made the remark in Bhiwani in response to a reporter’s query over the ‘death of 200 farmers’.

    “Had they been at their homes, they would have died there also,” Dalal said.

    “Listen to me, out of one to two lakh, do not 200 people die in six months?” he asked in response.

    “Someone is dying of a heart attack and someone after falling ill,” he added.

    Several Punjab and Haryana farmers, participating in farmers’ agitation against the Centre’s three farm laws at various Delhi border points, have died of different reasons including cardiac arrest.

    Hours after making the statement, the Haryana agriculture minister said he has seen ‘twisted’ statements, attributed to him, on social media.

    He said ‘wrong meaning’ was given to his statements.

    “If anybody is hurt by it, I tender my apology,” he said, adding he would continue to work for farmers’ welfare.

    He said it is painful if anyone dies.

    Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala attacked Dalal over his remarks and said such a statement can only be made by an ‘insensitive’ person.

    “These words can only be used by an insensitive man for agitating ‘annadatas’,” said Surjewala in a tweet.

    Haryana Congress chief Kumari Selja too slammed Dalal for his statement.

    “This reaction and laughter of the Haryana agriculture minister on the sacrifice of our farmer brothers are very sad,” she said in a tweet.

    Punjab Congress leader Raj Kumar Verka also demanded Dalal’s ouster from the Haryana Cabinet over huis ‘insensitive’ remarks.

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

    The protesting farmers have been expressing fear that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) mechanism, leaving them at the “mercy” of big corporate houses.

    The Centre, however, has been insisting that the new laws will bring better opportunities to farmers and introduce new technologies in agriculture.

  • Some people agitating just for sake of protest: Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar on farmers’ stir

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has said some people are agitating just for the “sake of protest” against the Centre’s farm laws, which reflects their “vested political intent”.

    He, however, said the Centre will be ready for any amendement in the laws if required.

    According to a statement, Khattar said this after a meeting with state MPs in New Delhi, in which their suggestions were sought for the next state budget to be presented in the Haryana assembly in March.

    Commenting on the agitation against the farm laws, Khattar said the Centre is clearly of the view that the three laws are for the benefit of farmers and will give a boost to the agricultural sector.

    ALSO READ: Rakesh Tikait address ‘mahapanchayat’ at Kurukshetra, criticises PM Narendra Modi’s remark on protesters

    Some people are protesting just for the ‘sake of protest’ and it shows their ‘vested political intent’, the chief minister said according to the statement.

    However, if through a positive dialogue, any amendment in these laws is required, then the Union government will always be ready for it, the CM said, adding that he is hopeful that the issue will be resolved soon.

    In the meeting held at the residence of Union minister Rattan Lal Kataria on Friday, the CM said suggestions and expectations of the MPs regarding the development of their constituencies will be looked into during the preparation of the state budget.

    ALSO READ: PM Narendra Modi should ask MPs, MLAs to give up pension, use funds to support youth, says Rakesh Tikait

    He said like the previous year, this year too the state’s budget will be prepared after holding discussions with the Haryana MPs.

    The valuable suggestions given by the MPs will definitely be incorporated in the upcoming budget, the CM said.

    The meeting was attended by Rattan Lal Kataria, MPs Arvind Kumar Sharma, Dharambir Singh, Ramesh Chander Kaushik, Nayab Singh Saini, Sanjay Bhatia, Brijendra Singh and Sunita Duggal.

    Rajya Sabha MPs Lt Gen D P Vats (retd), Dushyant Gautam and Ram Chander Jangra were also present, as per the statement.

  • Rahul Gandhi: Modi has left 3 options for farmers – hunger, unemployment and suicide

    By Express News Service
    JAIPUR: On the second day of his Rajasthan visit to support the protesting farmers, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held a tractor rally and led a roadshow by riding a camel cart in Ajmer district. 

    In his outreach to farmers, Gandhi addressed thousands of farmers in Rupangarh town where the stage was erected on tractor trolleys. For the event at Rupangarh, Gandhi rode a tractor with CM Ashok Gehlot and PCC chief Govind Singh Dotasara seated next to him. 

    The Congress MP remained unsparing in his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government over the farm laws. He claimed that the laws will destroy agriculture. “If implemented, the laws will ruin farmers and no youngster will find jobs. Modi claims he is creating options through these laws. But the three options he is creating for farmers are only of hunger, unemployment, and suicide.”   

    Urging the Centre to take back the three farm laws,  Gandhi said, “Modi ji says he wants to speak to farmers but what does he want to talk about? First, he should repeal the laws, then farmers will speak. You (PM) are looting homes of farmers and depriving them of all their rights. Your government only wants to give all rights under  ‘Hum Do, Hamare Do’ (We two, our two).” 

    ‘Hum Do, Hamare Do’ is the phrase Gandhi coined to argue that the intent of the farm laws is simply to favour two corporates allegedly close to the Modi government. 

    Before the tractor rally at Rupangarh, Rahul Gandhi visited the ‘Veer Tejaji Maharaj Temple’ in Ajmer which is especially revered by the Jats, the dominant farm community of Rajasthan. CM Ashok Gehlot, party leader Sachin Pilot and Ajay Maken joined him during this temple trip.   

    After the Rupangarh rally, Rahul Gandhi addressed a ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ at Makrana in Nagaur district. Gandhi claimed that farmers have shown ‘light in the darkness’ through their protests against the three farm laws and the farmers’ agitation has now become an ‘agitation of India.’

    Rahul slammed the Prime Minister for “not giving enough assistance to migrants and country’s poor people during the Corona crises”. He remarked: “When poor people asked for help to buy train and bus tickets to return their homes, the PM refused to give them a single rupee. But during the same period, he rode off loans of 1.5 lakh crores for his corporate friends.”

    The Congress hopes that Gandhi’s rallies will galvanise farmers in the state. Till now, Rajasthan farmers have been on the sidelines of the farmers agitation which has been led chiefly by farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

  • Farmer unions demand high-level judicial inquiry into FIRs registered over R-Day violence

    Express News Service
    CHANDIGARH: Farmer unions have demanded a high-level judicial inquiry into the violence that took place in Delhi on Republic Day. They said that 16 persons are still missing and alleged that Delhi Police is trying to implicate farmers in false cases.

    “Initially, 122 farmers were booked, most of them on charges of attempt to murder and dacoity. The purpose of booking them on these charges is to sabotage the agitation and make sure that farmers are behind bars for long… The police are trying to spread terror,” said Samyukta Kisan Morcha’s legal cell head Prem Singh Bhangu.

    ALSO READ| Punjab farmer part of protests at Singhu dies of cardiac arrest

    Bhangu and advocate Kuldeep Singh demanded a juridical probe by a retired Supreme Court or high court judge. “The innocent are being framed in false cases,” they alleged.  The farmer leaders said they visited Tihar Jail on Friday to speak to those arrested. They informed that the Morcha has arranged Rs 2000 per heed for canteen expenses for the persons held there.

    They said it was the responsibility of Delhi Police to trace the 16 missing. “These people went missing from the national capital. We have sent a written representation, but the police are keeping mum. Of the 16, nine are from Haryana, one from Rajasthan and rest from Punjab. Of the 122 in custody, 10 have been granted bail,” said Bhangu.

    ALSO READ| Farm laws: Footfall at mahapanchayats emboldens unions

    Accusing the police of harassing the farmers, the unions have promised to stand by them. Rajinder Singh, member of the Morcha’s legal team, said that farmers can approach their legal cell for assistance. He said that 122 farmers had been arrested by Delhi Police in connection with 14 of the 44 FIRs. “We are still to get copies of 22 FIRs. Two farmers went to police after getting notices and were arrested. We will provide legal and financial aid to the arrested farmers,” said Singh.

  • Punjab farmer part of protests at Singhu dies of cardiac arrest

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: A 72-year-old Punjab farmer who was participating in farmers’ agitation at Delhi’s Singhu border has died of cardiac arrest, police said on Saturday.

    Hansa Singh was a resident of Moga district, a police official posted at Kundli police station in Haryana’s Sonipat said.

    Singh died of heart attack Thursday night, police said, adding his post-mortem was conducted on Friday.

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

    READ| Farmers’ protest to go on for indefinite period, warns Rakesh Tikait

    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.

    However, the Centre has maintained that the new laws will bring better opportunities to farmers and introduce new technologies in agriculture.

  • Rahul Gandhi offers prayers at temple dedicated to folk deity in Rajasthan

    By PTI
    JAIPUR: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday offered prayers at a temple dedicated to folk deity Veer Tejaji in Ajmer’s Sursura village.

    After arrival at the Ajmer’s Kishangarh airport from Sri Ganganagar, Gandhi left for the temple by road with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, AICC general secretary Ajay Maken, state Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra and former deputy CM Sachin Pilot.

    Gandhi and other leaders offered prayers at the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. After it, Gandhi was seen talking to the priest.

    #WATCH Congress leader Rahul Gandhi drives a tractor in Roopangarh, Rajasthan pic.twitter.com/jzXmUHDn9u
    — ANI (@ANI) February 13, 2021

    The temple committee honoured Gandhi with an idol of the deity.

    Gandhi is scheduled to attend farmer rallies in Ajmer’s Rupangarh and Nagaur’s Makrana later in the day.