News Analysis India

Tag: Farmers Protest

  • Holding no informal talks with farmers, barricading is local admin issue: Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar Wednesday said the Centre is not holding any informal talk with protesting farmers and described putting up of more barricades and suspending internet in and around agitation sites as law and order issues related to local administrations.

    The last and 11th round of meeting between the government and 41 protesting unions, held on January 22, was inconclusive.

    The Centre had asked unions to reconsider the government’s proposal to suspend new farm laws for 18 months.

    Asked when the government will hold the next round of talks and if it was engaging with the unions informally, Tomar replied in the negative.

    “No. We will inform when formal talks will be held,” Tomar told PTI.

    When told that protesting unions demand that no formal talks with the government can be held until the police and the administration stop “harassing” them and release the detained farmers, the minister said, “They should talk to the Police Commissioner. I don’t want to comment on the law and order issue. That’s not my job.”

    Since the January 22 talks, there has been no meeting between the farmer leaders and the Centre to discuss the farm laws although the government reiterated that its offer stands and doors are open for discussion.

    On Tuesday, Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) — the umbrella body of farmers’ unions protesting the Central farm laws — had said that there can be no “formal” talks with the government until the “harassment” of different kinds against the farmers’ movement by the police and administration is “immediately stopped”.

    The SKM had also said no formal proposal for talks has been received by it.

    “Though no formal proposal for talks came from the government, we clearly state that the talks will be held only after unconditional release of farmers who are in illegal police custody,” SKM had said in a statement.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an all-party meeting on Saturday had said the government’s offer to suspend the farm laws for 18 months was still on the table and the agriculture minister was just a phone call away to take the talks forward.

    The sites of the farmer protest at Delhi’s borders have turned into fortresses with police beefing up security and putting up multi-layer barricades to stop the movement of vehicles.

    Concertina wires and metal spikes have also been put up to keep off people on foot.

    The strengthened security measures come after the violence during the Republic Day tractor parade by the farmers.

  • Lilly Singh, Jay Sean, other celebrities join Rihanna in extending support to farmers’ protest in India

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: After American pop star Rihanna’s recent tweet surrounding the farmers’ protest in India, singer-songwriter Jay Sean has expressed his support for farmers, who have been protesting against the Centre’s new agri laws.

    The 39-year-old singer shared a photo from the farmers’ protest on Instagram and called it “one of the largest protests ever in history”.

    “It’s one of the largest protests EVER IN HISTORY, and hardly any mainstream coverage. I live in the US and I’ve barely seen it on the news or mainstream media. I don’t know what needs to be done to raise more awareness and have more eyes on this but I’ve seen videos that are far too graphic and heartbreaking to post,” the ‘Eyes on You’ hitmaker wrote.

    “People that are old enough to be my grandparents being trampled over with no remorse or regard. Pls go to my story where I will post a petition link and something actionable. #istandwithfarmers #farmersprotest,” he added.

    This post comes after Rihanna extended support to farmers protesting on the borders of India’s capital against the three agriculture laws introduced by the Central government. Apart from Rihanna, several other international celebrities such as Amanda Cerny, Lilly Singh, Greta Thunberg came out in support of the farmers.

    Rihanna had shared a news report on Tuesday that mentioned the internet shut down in parts of India and tweeted, “why aren’t we talking about this?! #FarmersProtest.”

    Reacting to Rihanna’s viral tweet, Lilly Singh wrote, “Yes! Thank you so much @rihanna. This is a humanity issue! #IStandWithFarmers and this narrative is TIRED.”

    Yes! Thank you so much @rihanna. This is a humanity issue! #IStandWithFarmers and this narrative is TIRED. https://t.co/H0h5EM7mNW
    — Lilly // #LateWithLilly (@Lilly) February 2, 2021

    Amanda Cerny posted a photo of women farmers on Instagram and in the caption, she wrote, “The world is watching. You don’t have to be Indian or Punjabi or South Asian to understand the issue. All you have to do is care about humanity. Always demand freedom of speech, freedom of press, basic human and civil rights-equity and dignity for workers. #FarmersProtest #internetshutdown”

    Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg had also extended her support to the farmers, saying that she stands in solidarity with the farmers. “We stand in solidarity with the #FarmersProtest in India,” Thunberg wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.

    Several other celebrities including Priyanka Chopra, Sonam Kapoor, Diljit Dosanjh, have also spoken in support of the farmers.

    On the other hand, actor Kangana Ranaut, who had supported farm laws called Rihanna a “fool” and said that the protestors were not farmers but “terrorists who are trying to divide India”.

    “No one is talking about it because they are not farmers they are terrorists who are trying to divide India, so that China can take over our vulnerable broken nation and make it a Chinese colony much like the USA… Sit down you fool, we are not selling our nation like you dummies,” Kangana tweeted on Tuesday.

    No one is talking about it because they are not farmers they are terrorists who are trying to divide India, so that China can take over our vulnerable broken nation and make it a Chinese colony much like USA…Sit down you fool, we are not selling our nation like you dummies. https://t.co/OIAD5Pa61a
    — Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) February 2, 2021

    Farmers have been protesting on the different borders of the national capital since November 26 last year 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.

  • Bharatiya Kisan Union’s Digamber Singh slams parties trying to usurp farmers’ stir platform

    By PTI
    BIJNOR: Bharatiya Kisan Union (Youth) president Digamber Singh on Tuesday accused political parties of trying to usurp the platform of farmers’ agitation against the three central laws to spoil the atmosphere of peaceful protests.

    Singh made the allegation amid BKU’s senior leader Rakesh Tikait, camping at Ghazipur’s Uttar Pradesh Gate on Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border, asserting that farmers’ protest is apolitical and no politician has been given the mic or space on farmers’ stage.

    Tikait made the assertion after an off-the-stage meeting with Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut at the farmers’ protest site at Ghazipur.

    The president of BKU (Youth), which organised a Kisan Samman Mahapanchayat on Monday in Bijnor, told PTI, “The movement going on Delhi borders is only by the farmers but the leaders of political parties want to usurp the platform by creating pressure through their supporters.On Monday too, due to a noisy protest by a group of people present in the crowd, one of their leaders had to be called on the stage of the Mahapanchayat to handle the situation.”

    “A prominent opposition leader in Uttar Pradesh had asked for permission to attend the Kisan Samman Mahapanchayat held in Bijnor on Monday but was flatly denied,” he said, adding “the atmosphere is getting worse”.

    While generally keeping political parties away from the farmer agitation, the BKU (Y) on Monday had allowed RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary on its Kisan Samman Mahapanchayat platform in Bijnor.

  • Music sensation Rihanna extends support to farmers’ protest in India

    By Online Desk
    International pop star Rihanna on Tuesday extended her support to the ongoing farmers protest against the three new contentious farm laws. 

    Taking to Twitter, Rihanna shared a CNN article and wrote, “why aren’t we talking about this?”.

    why aren’t we talking about this?! #FarmersProtest https://t.co/obmIlXhK9S
    — Rihanna (@rihanna) February 2, 2021

    With over 100 million followers on Twitter, the 32-year-old singer is the first global star to voice her support to the protest.

    Thousands of farmers have been camping at several Delhi border points since November end, demanding the government to repeal the three farm laws and legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for their crops.

    The government of India has shut mobile internet services at Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri — epicentres of the farmers till 5 pm on Wednesday. The Harayana government has also snapped internet services in 17 districts of the state to throttle the movement. 

    Meanwhile, farmers’ protest sites at Delhi’s borders have turned into fortresses with police beefing up security and strengthening barricades. Iron rods have been hooked between two rows of cement barriers on a flank of the main highway at the Singhu border to further restrict the movement of protesters, agitating against the new farm laws.

    Another portion of the highway at the Delhi-Haryana border is practically blocked as a makeshift cement wall has come up there. At Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border, there are multi-layer barricades to stop the movement of vehicles. Barbed wire has also been put up to keep off people on foot.

  • Farmers’ stir: Haryana extends mobile Internet curbs in seven districts till Wednesday evening

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: The Haryana government on Tuesday further extended the suspension of mobile Internet services till 5 pm on February 3 in seven districts of the state amid a protest by farmers against the Centre’s three farm laws.

    An official statement said, “The Haryana government has extended the suspension of mobile Internet services (2G/3G/4G/CDMA/GPRS), SMS services (only bulk SMS) and all dongle services etc provided on mobile networks except the voice calls in seven districts–Kaithal, Panipat, Jind, Rohtak, Charkhi Dadri, Sonipat and Jhajjar–till 5 pm on February 3.”

    It said the order has been issued to prevent any disturbance of peace and public order in the jurisdiction of these districts of Haryana and shall be in force with immediate effect. Any person found guilty of violation of the aforesaid order will be liable for legal action under relevant provisions, it said.

    The government’s move to suspend mobile Internet services in 17 districts earlier and later on keeping these suspended at a few places saw protests by farmers in the state. Farmers on Tuesday blocked the national highway near the Khatkar toll plaza near Narwana in Jind to protest against the curbs.

    Azad Singh Palwa, a Khap leader, alleged that the suspension of Internet services is adversely affecting various sections, particularly students. “The final examinations of students are approaching. Many students are preparing for entrance exams, but their studies are being hit due to Internet suspension,” he said.

    INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala told reporters in Jind that the suspension of the mobile internet services in some parts had affected office work and the studies of the students.

  • Farmers aggressively resorted to rioting during protests: Government tells Lok Sabha

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The government on Tuesday informed Lok Sabha that 39 cases were registered between September and December 2020 against farmers protesting against the agri laws at Delhi’s borders and said they “aggressively resorted to rioting, damage to property and used criminal force” against public servants.

    Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy also said that the protesting farmers were not following social distancing and gathered in large numbers without face masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “Insofar NCT of Delhi is concerned, the Delhi Police has informed that 39 cases have been registered against the farmers protesting the recently passed ‘farm laws’ between September and December, 2020 at Delhi border,” he said in a written reply.

    Reddy’s reply implies that these 39 cases were excluding those registered after the farmers’ tractor rally violence on January 26.

    He said the Delhi Police has also informed that one suicide case has been reported to it during the protest against the contentious farm laws.

    On police using tear gas and resorting to baton charge against protesting farmers, the minister said it has been reported that at Delhi borders, large convoys of agitating farmers in tractor trolleys tried to furiously force their way and go past police barricades to enter Delhi.

    “They aggressively resorted to rioting, damage to government property and used criminal force to deter public servants from the discharge of their duty, thereby inflicting injuries to the on-duty police personnel.

    “Moreover, social distancing was not followed by the farmers and protestors and they gathered in large numbers without face masks amid COVID-19 pandemic.

    The farmers’ actions left the Delhi Police with no option but to use tear gas, water cannons and mild force to control the crowd,” Reddy said.

  • Government ready to discuss farmers issues inside and outside Parliament, says Union minister Tomar

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The government on Tuesday asserted in Lok Sabha that it was ready to discuss issues related to farmers both inside and outside Parliament amid vociferous protests by the Opposition which forced the House to adjourn twice, first for almost an hour and then for nearly two hours.

    Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said during Zero Hour, which began at 5 pm, that the Modi government is always committed to discuss the farmer’s issues.

    “Government is ready to discuss issues related to farmers inside and outside Parliament,” he said amid sloganeering by opposition members.

    Tomar’s reply came after Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury claimed that 170 farmers have died during the ongoing agitation against the three contentious farm laws.

    “Atrocities are being committed on farmers. Situation is similar to British rule,” he alleged.

    As opposition members, including from Congress, DMK, Trinamool Congress, SP and BSP, trooped near the well, Speaker Om Birla appealed to them to go back to their seats so that House can taken up normal business.

    “This House is for debate and discussions. Please go back to your seats,” he said.

    However, the unrelenting opposition continued their protests, leading to the Speaking announcing the second adjournment till 7 pm.

    Earlier, as soon as the House met at 4 pm, opposition members disrupted the Question Hour to press for repeal of the three “black” laws and raised slogans.

    Members from the Shiv Sena were seen raising slogans from the aisles.

    Former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal of the Shiromani Akali Dal was also seen holding a poster demanding repeal of the contentious agriculture legislations.

    The Speaker urged the members to return to their seats and follow the COVID-19 protocol.

    He said in the ongoing Question Hour, questions related to farmers were listed and members can raise their issues at that time.

    He also said during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address, members can raise these issues.

    But opposition members refused to relent forcing him to adjourn the proceedings around 4.10 pm.

    Several farmers unions have been staging protests at various border points of Delhi demanding repeal of the farm laws.

  • Sanjay Raut meets farmer leader Rakesh Tikait at Ghazipur protest site

    By PTI
    GHAZIABAD: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday reached the farmers’ protest site at Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border where he met Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait.

    The Maharashtra leader arrived at Ghazipur when security has been further tightened at the farmers’ protest site.

    Raut, one of the handful people wearing a face mask, met Tikait and other protestors off the stage after reaching here around 1 pm.

    “The way vandalism unfolded here after January 26 and an attempt made to suppress the movement and Tikait, we felt it is our responsibility to stand by the farmers’ and extend support of the whole of Maharashtra, Shiv Sena and Uddhav Thackeray saahab,” Raut told reporters.

    Tikait said, “The farmers’ protest is apolitical and no politician has been given the mic or space on the stage.

    ” A major Hindutva ally of the BJP-led NDA till 2019, Shiv Sena was one of the 19 opposition parties which boycotted the President’s address ahead of the Budget Session on January 29 and extended support to the farmers’ agitation.

    Previously leaders of Shiromani Akali Dal, Aam Aadmi Party, Congress, Rashtriya Lok Dal, Samajwadi Party, among others, visited Ghazipur, which has become the camping ground for BKU-led protestors for over two months now.

    Of late, thousands have converged in support of the ongoing stir against the contentious new farm laws.

    Initially, farmer unions had maintained that their protests were apolitical but have lately welcomed politicians openly.

    Rakesh Tikait on January 31 had said the Sanyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) had not allowed political parties in the movement against new central farm laws but took political support “only after the democracy was mocked” at protest sites.

    Meanwhile, concertina wires spread further around the UP Gate (Ghazipur border) on Tuesday, while multi-layered barricading of iron and concrete structures along with nails studded on roads made sure no protestor movement towards Delhi.

    The internet also remained suspended at the protest site.

    Thousands of farmers have been protesting 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 the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

    The protesting farmers have expressed the 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 government has maintained that the new laws will bring better opportunities to farmers and introduce new technologies in agriculture.

  • Twitter ‘withholds’ several accounts including Prasar Bharati CEO’s after request from govt

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Twitter has blocked several accounts and tweets after the government asked the microblogging platform to take action against 250 handles and posts for containing ‘false and provocative content’ related to the ongoing farmers’ agitation, according to sources.

    These include accounts of Kisan Ekta Morcha and BKU Ekta Urgahan that have thousands of followers and have been actively involved in the ongoing protests.

    According to sources, the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) directed Twitter to block around 250 tweets/Twitter accounts that were making ‘fake, intimidatory and provocative tweets’ on January 30 with hashtags accusing the Modi government of planning farmers ‘genocide’ without any further substantiation.

    After facing outrage from civil society, Twitter restored the accounts in a few hours.

    This blocking was done at the request of the Ministry of Home Affairs and law enforcement agencies to prevent any escalation of law and order in view of the ongoing farmer agitation, the sources said adding that these tweets/accounts have now been blocked.

    The sources said incitement to genocide is a grave threat to public order and therefore, MeitY ordered blocking of these Twitter accounts and tweets under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act.

    When contacted, a Twitter spokesperson said if it receives a “properly scoped request” from an authorised entity, it may be necessary to withhold access to certain content in a particular country from time to time.”

    “Transparency is vital to protecting freedom of expression, so we have a notice policy for withheld content. Upon receipt of requests to withhold content, we will promptly notify the affected account holders (unless we are prohibited from doing so eg if we receive a court order under seal),” the spokesperson added.

    However, Twitter did not provide details of the accounts/tweets that were blocked.

    Upon searching for accounts including Kisan Ekta Morcha (@Kisanektamorcha) and BKU Ekta Urgahan (@Bkuektaugrahan) — a message saying “account has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand” was displayed.

    Twitter withholds Prasar Bharati CEO’s account 

    Twitter on Monday also “withheld” account of Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati.

    Prasar Bharati asked Twitter to explain the reason for withholding Vempati’s account.

    “Dear @twitter @TwitterIndia could you explain the grounds for withholding CEO Prasar Bharati’s Twitter handle @shashidigital in India?” it said.

    Meanwhile, BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi, who chairs the Parliamentary Committee on Data Protection Bill, condemned the blocking of Prasar Bharti CEO’s account and said it has “victimised the person who told you to take the right step”.

    “It shows how artificial is artificial intelligence,” she said.

    The MP said Vempati had made a complaint concerning an account who was writing against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    “While taking action they blocked his (Vempati’s) account as well. This clearly shows when the real intelligence is missing this is what happens. I have always pleaded that there is a need for fair artificial intelligence. It clearly shows hashtag like that should have been detected immediately and should have been corrected immediately. The person who has made a complaint is obviously not a part of the process but by blocking that handle you are victimising the person who told you to take the right step,” she said.

    The development comes in the wake of violence in Delhi on January 26 during a tractor parade of farmers, protesting against the three new central agriculture laws.

    The Delhi Police is currently probing the Republic Day violence, wherein it has lodged multiple FIRs and booked, among others, several farmer leaders leading the protests at the national capital’s borders since November-end.

    FIRs have been lodged against some journalists as well.