News Analysis India

Tag: Farmers Protest

  • PM Narendra Modi orders repeal of three farm laws ahead of Assembly polls in five states

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: In the face of daunting electoral tests in five states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced the decision to take the Parliamentary nod to repeal three contentious farm laws in the upcoming Winter session of Parliament.

    PM Modi exhorted the agitating farmers to call off their protests and return to their homes, while apologizing for not being able to convince some of the farmers about the good intentions of the government.

    Addressing the nation. https://t.co/daWYidw609
    — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 19, 2021
    Timing the announcement with Gurupurab, the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, Prime Minister’s announcement was seen in the offing to allow the former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh to kick off his campaign in the state for the upcoming Assembly elections in alliance with the BJP.

    Sticking to the pro-small farmers narrative of the government, Modi sought to project the flexibility for not being able to take “some of the farmers onboard” by arguing that the three contentious farm laws had received overwhelming welcome by a large number of stakeholders.

    Yet, he said that the government has taken the decision to get the nod of the Parliament to repeal the three laws, which, incidentally, had led to the NDA’s oldest ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) snapping alliance with the BJP.

    ALSO READ| Farmers’ protest: Court seeks status report from police on plea seeking FIR against Haryana CM

    By projecting a package, repeal of the three laws and constitution of a committee to scientifically look into the issue of the minimum support prices (MSPs), Modi has seemingly given the BJP an elbow room to work on the Jat Sikh-Hindu constituency alliance with Captain Amarinder Singh in Punjab, besides buyingpeace with the angry Jats in western Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

    With the prospects of the Jat vote base shifting allegiance with the BJP in the western UP, the saffron outfit is being seen within the party struggling on at least 70 Assembly seats in the Hindi heartland which has a total of 403 seats.  At the same time, the BJP-JJP government in Haryana was also facing the heat of the agitating farmers.

    ALSO READ| Repealing of farm laws: Sidhu, Amarinder welcome move; protesting unions to decide next course of action

    However, Prime Minister’s retreat after a strong posturing on farm reform is not a first as the NDA government had also previously withdrawn the contentious land amendment bill ordinance before the crucial Assembly elections.

    Farmers celebrate in New Delhi after PM #NarendraModi announced that the Centre has decided to repeal all three #FarmLaws.Express video | @parveennegi1. pic.twitter.com/aoeoXEI22R
    — The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) November 19, 2021
    The announcement came on a day when Prime Minister is set for launch of several projects in Uttar Pradesh.

  • Farmers’ protest: Court seeks status report from police on plea seeking FIR against Haryana CM

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: A court here on Thursday directed Delhi police to file a status report on a plea seeking an FIR against Haryana Chief Minister M L Khattar for allegedly inciting BJP members to use criminal force against the protesting farmers last month.

    Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sachin Gupta passed the order on the plea made by the complainant, who claimed that despite his complaint on October 22 to the senior officers of Delhi police, no action has been taken so far.

    “Submissions heard. Let the status report be called from the concerned Incharge, Crime Branch (of Delhi police) for December 6,” the judge said.

    ALSO READ | Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi promises farmers to quash old, stubble burning FIRs against them

    The petition, filed by advocate Amit Sahni, alleged that a controversial video of the chief minister and BJP member was recorded during a meeting with the workers belonging to the party’s ‘Kisan morcha’ at his residence at Chandigarh on October 3.

    The petition accused that Khattar has committed offences under various sections, including 153 (giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence), and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief).

    It claimed that in the video, the CM was seen instigating party workers to use criminal force against the protesting farmers and “to create 500-600-1,000 volunteers in every district of north and west Haryana, and be ready to face sticks, imprisonment, which will make them big leaders.”

    The petition urged the court to summon Khattar and punish him in accordance with the law, and also direct the police officials concerned to conduct an investigation against him by lodging an FIR.

  • Lakhimpur Kheri violence: SIT trying to establish location of accused on fateful day

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: Over a month after the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in which eight persons including four farmers lost their lives, the district police chief Vijay Dhull was transferred late on Thursday night.

    Dhull has been attached with the Uttar Pradesh state police headquarters in Lucknow and has been kept on a waiting list. DCP, Lucknow East, Sanjeev Suman, a 2014 batch IPS officer, has replaced Dhull, a 2012 batch IPS officer.

    Earlier, on October 28, the UP government had transferred Arvind Kumar Chaurasiya, Lakhimpur Kheri district magistrate under whom the district witnessed the violence on October 3. Chaurasiya was replaced by Mahendra Bahadur Singh as the new DM of the trouble-torn district of the terai.

    Besides the administrative reshuffle, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Lakhimpur Kheri incident is now focusing on establishing the location of the three key accused including Ashish Mishra, Ankit Das and his bodyguard Lateef on the fateful day.

    The SIT has turned its focus more on the presence of the three accused at the incident site after the FSL report recently confirmed firing from three licensed firearms including a rifle, a pistol and a repeater gun belonging to Ashish Mishra, Ankit Das and Lateef respectively.

    ALSO READ: Lakhimpur violence: SC grants time till Monday to Yogi government for stand on monitoring of SIT probe by ex-judge

    According to highly-placed sources, the investigators were trying to establish the presence of the three key accused at the incident site through their cell phone locations and call details report. All three are currently in jail. However, the hearing in the bail plea of main accused Ashish Mishra would take place on November 15.

    Police sources also claimed that during the investigation, the SIT stumbled upon some unclaimed mobile phones from the site and sent them for further examination.

    Meanwhile, the FSL report had established the firing from the three weapons in the recent past but it did not clarify the date. At the same time, the autopsy of all the four farmers had shown no gunshot injuries on the bodies. The autopsy report had claimed that all the farmers had died due to trauma, excessive blood loss and brain haemorrhage.

    The sources said the ballistic report of one more weapon recovered from another co-accused, Satya Prakash Tripathi, was awaited. The sources also claimed that while Ankit Das and his gunner Latif had accepted in their statements that they fired in the air to escape from the spot when the angry mob attacked them after a fleet of vehicles had ploughed into the crowd of protesting farmers, Ashish Mishra had maintained that he was not present at the violence site but was at a ‘dangal’ in his ancestral village Banbirpur, around 4-5 km away from the site of the incident.

    While Ashish Mishra, son of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni, was arrested by the SIT on October 9, his accomplices Ankit Das and Latif were taken into custody five days later.

    Of the eight who were killed in the October 3 violence, four were farmers, three were BJP workers and one was a local journalist.

  • Resolving farmer agitation issue not linked with UP elections: Piyush Goyal

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Union minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said the government is ready to talk with protesting farmers over three new farm laws but asserted that resolving the farmer agitation is not all related to the upcoming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.

    He also expressed confidence that the BJP along with its allies will again form the government in the state.

    The minister was replying to a question that if it is not necessary for the Centre to resolve the ongoing farmer protests at Delhi borders else it could have a bearing on BJP’s election prospects in Uttar Pradesh.

    “UP election results will be very good. BJP along with its allies will again form the government with a good majority,” the minister said in Hindi at the Times Now Summit 2021.

    Further, Goyal said, “Finding a resolution to farmer protests is not related to UP elections. Otherwise also, we want to resolve the issue and are even ready to talk to them tomorrow.”

    He asserted that resolution to farmer protests is not at all related to UP polls.

    Thousands of farmers are camping on Delhi’s borders since last November, seeking withdrawal of the new agriculture laws.

    Protesting farmers should come forward for discussion, but that should be based on certain facts and logics, Goyal added.

    On minimum support price (MSP) issue, he highlighted that the government has taken various measures in the last seven years including a decision to fix MSP at least 1.5 times of the production cost.

    The government has raised MSP of various crops significantly and is also procuring record quantity of wheat and paddy.

    He said the government has categorically stated in the parliament that the MSP system will continue as it is now and it will not be stopped.

  • Will stay put until farm laws repealed: BKU’s Rakesh Tikait

    By PTI

    GHAZIABAD: Bhartiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait on Thursday said the farmers’ protests will continue till the contentious farm laws are not repealed by the Centre.

    Only the repealing of the contentious laws would ensure the end of the protests, the influential farmer leader asserted.

    “The movement will continue across the country until the three black laws are not repealed and a legal guarantee on the minimum support price of crops fixed,” Tikait said in a Hindi tweet.

    “Bill wapsi hi ghar wapsi hai (Withdrawal of the laws will ensure return of farmers to their homes),” he said in the same tweet.

    The Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) national spokesperson said the movement is for safeguarding “jal, jungle and zameen” (water, forest and land).

    The BKU is part of farmers collective the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), which is spearheading the campaign, particularly the demonstrations at Delhi’s three border points of Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur since November 2020.

    Farmers are demanding that 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; be rolled back and a new law made to guarantee the minimum support price for crops.

    The Centre, which has held 11 rounds of formal dialogue with farmers, has maintained that the new laws are pro-farmer, while the protesters claim they would be left at the mercy of corporations because of the laws.

  • Farmers’ protest to be intensified in Purvanchal region: Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait

    By PTI

    GHAZIABAD: Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Tuesday said the protest against the Centre’s three farm laws will be intensified in the Purvanchal region, which comprises parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh and western Bihar.

    He said that a ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ will be held in Lucknow on November 22, four days ahead of the anti-farm law protest at Delhi borders completing one year.

    The BKU is part of the farmers collective Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), which is spearheading the campaign, particularly the demonstrations at Delhi’s three border points of Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur since November 2020.

    “The Kisan Mahapanchayat on November 22 to be held in Lucknow will be historic. This Mahapanchayat of the SKM will prove to be the last nail in the coffin of the anti-farmer government and the three black laws. Now the movement of ‘Annadata’ (food providers) will intensify even in Purvanchal,” Tikait, the national spokesperson of the BKU, tweeted in Hindi.

    Hundreds of farmers are encamped at Delhi borders with a demand that 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 be rolled back and a new law made to guarantee minimum support price for crops.

    The Centre, which has held 11 rounds of formal dialogues with the farmers, has maintained that the new laws are pro-farmer, while protestors claim they would be left at the mercy of corporations because of the legislations.

  • ‘Farmers not going to get justice till BJP is in power’: SP chief Akhilesh Yadav

    Akhilesh Yadav said farmers would not get justice as long as the BJP's 'triple-engine' government remains in power.

  • Repeal farm laws, relieve farmers: BSP chief Mayawati tells Centre

    BSP supremo Mayawati said she expects the government to repeal the three contentious farm laws and relieve the farmers.

  • We stand vindicated, say farm unions as Delhi police cops begin removing barricades at farmers’ protest sites

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: With the Delhi Police beginning to remove barricades at two farmer protest sites — Tikri and Ghazipur — farm union leaders on Friday said the move vindicates their stand that they never blocked roads at the city border points.With the Delhi Police beginning to remove barricades at two farmer protest sites — Tikri and Ghazipur — farm union leaders on Friday said the move vindicates their stand that they never blocked roads at the city border points.Farmer leaders said any decision to entirely clear both the carriageways at the protest sites will be taken by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of over 40 farmer unions protesting against the Centre’s farm laws.They, however, said way will be made for traffic to move in the coming days.The Delhi Police’s decision comes days after a Supreme Court hearing that saw farmer unions arguing that the police were responsible for the blockade at the city’s borders.Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) office-bearers said police and not farmers had blocked roads, adding that they are being “reopened on the directions of the Supreme Court”.In light of the removal of barricades at Ghazipur border protest site, BKU leader Rakesh Tikait said, The future course of the ongoing farmers’ protest would be decided by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, which is leading the movement against the three farm laws.Senior farmer leader and SKM member Darshan Pal said false allegations were being levelled against farmers that they have blocked roads, which have been rejected by us since day one.Pal said at Singhu border, farmers have occupied the portion of road which is already closed for traffic due to construction of a flyover.Now, the exercise of removal of barricades by the police clearly proves our point that it was the police that have blocked roads and not the farmers. We never created any problem. Any bottleneck from our side will also be cleared for traffic movement, Pal told PTI.Any decision to entirely clear both carriageways of roads or march towards Delhi will be taken by the SKM, he added.So far, there is no call to go to Delhi. Any future course of action will be decided in a meeting of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, Pal said.Thousands of farmers have been camping at the three borders points — Tikri, Singhu and Ghazipur — protesting the Centre’s three farm laws since November 26, 2020.While the protesting farmers have been claiming that the three laws enacted last year are against their interest, the Centre has been saying these legislations are pro-farmer.The Delhi Police on Thursday evening started removing the barricades and concertina wires it had put in place at the anti-farm laws protest site at Tikri Border on Delhi-Rohtak highway. Similar action was initiated at Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border on Friday morning.Farmer leader and a representative of Rastriya Kisan Majdoor Sabha, Abhimanyu Kohar said the decision to remove barricades has vindicated the farmers’ stand and will ease traffic movement at the borders.For the last 11 months, we have been saying that farmers never blocked roads as we are simply protesting against farm laws. Today we are proved right. It is good that traffic will now be able to move at borders, Kohar said.Another farmer leader at Tikri Border and a member of SKM, Sudesh Goyat accused the Delhi Police of obstructing vehicular movement.In February, protesting farmers at Tikri Border cleared the way for an ambulance but it had to return as the Delhi Police had blocked the road, she claimed.We are happy that roadblocks are being removed and now traffic will be able to move. It will also help in reviving economy here as petrol pumps, shops which are shut for 11 months due to road closure will now start functioning again, Goyat said.Farmer leaders also hoped that the Centre would invite farmers for a dialogue to break the logjam over the farm laws.BKU spokesperson Saurabh Upadhyay said farmers want to go to Delhi but the SKM will take the final call.If the government wants the logjam to end, it should talk to the farmers now and we are ready for it. But if it wants the farmers’ movement to continue, we are determined to prolong it as it has already been 11 months since the protests began, Upadhyay told PTI.On October 21, the Supreme Court had said farmers have the right to protest and was not against this even when a legal challenge against the three farm laws is pending but they cannot block roads “indefinitely”, an observation that came amid a blame game between the Centre and the farmer unions.While the farmers’ unions alleged that the police were responsible for the blockade at the Delhi borders as it suits them to allow a feeling in the minds of the citizens that farmers are blocking the road, the Centre claimed there was an oblique purpose behind the protests.

  • Samyukt Kisan Morcha will oppose BJP in Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, says farmer leader Rakesh Tikait

    By PTI

    AGRA: Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Monday visited the family of Arun Narwar who was allegedly killed in police custody in Agra in Uttar Pradesh and demanded a compensation of Rs 40 lakh and government job to his kin.

    Speaking to reporters after meeting Narwar’s family members, Tikait said, “The state government is discriminating while giving compensation.

    “It has given compensation of Rs 40-45 lakh in Lakhimpur Kheri and Kanpur, while in Agra the government has given a compensation of Rs 10 lakh.”

    “The state government should give compensation of Rs 40 lakh to the family of Arun as well. The government should not have discriminated,” he said.

    He also demanded a government job for a member of Narwar’s family and a judicial probe into his death.

    Narwar was accused of stealing Rs 25 lakh from the Jagdishpura police station here and died in police custody after his health deteriorated during interrogation on October 19, officials had said.

    Targeting the BJP government over farm laws, Tikait said, “I will urge farmers not to vote for BJP in the upcoming assembly election. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha will oppose the BJP in state assembly elections.”

    “We will not field our candidates nor support any political party in the assembly election,” he added.

    He said their agitation against the Centre’s three farm laws will continue till the matter is resolved and added “we are also ready to talk to the central government.”