Former Congress Speaker Rahul Gandhi is likely to lead a protest in Punjab this week in support of farmers agitating against the government over three farm laws passed by Parliament last week, people familiar with the development said.
Gandhi is also expected to address a rally, the date and location of which are being finalized, a congressional leader said.
“After Punjab, you can join the protesting farmers in Haryana. But we are not sure if the BJP government in Haryana will allow him to enter the state, ”said the leader quoted above.
The protest rally is part of the Congress party’s ongoing two-month national agitation program against the government over the three agricultural laws.
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The Agricultural Products Trade and Trade (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, the Agricultural Price and Services Guarantee Agreement (Empowerment and Protection) for Farmers, 2020 and the Essential Products (Amendment) Bill, 2020 they were approved by both Houses of Parliament last week, sparking widespread protests, especially in Punjab and Haryana.
President Ram Nath Kovind gave his consent on Sunday to the three disputed bills, despite the opposition urging him to return them and only sign them once they were passed after proper rules and procedures were followed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called the laws a “watershed moment” in the history of Indian agriculture, which will empower millions of farmers.
In his monthly ‘Mann Ki Baat’ broadcast on Sunday, he said that a large number of farmers have benefited since fruits and vegetables were removed from the Farm Produce Marketing Committees (APMC) Act in some states a few years ago, and affirmed that grains Producing peasants will now have the same freedom.
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However, the move saw the departure of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), one of the oldest allies of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). His Union Minister, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, also resigned from the Modi government.
Gandhi, after returning from the United States on Tuesday where he had accompanied his mother and President of Congress Sonia Gandhi for a routine health check, did not attend the proceedings or join the Opposition protests in Parliament the last day of the monsoon session on Wednesday in view of the protocols that are being followed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, he has been repeatedly raising the issue on the social networking site Twitter.
In a video message as part of the Congress party’s ‘Speak up for Farmers’ campaign on Saturday, Gandhi told farmers that they were being persistently targeted.
“First demonetization, then GST, then they didn’t give you a rupee at the time of the coronavirus, an attempt was being made to kill you (the farmers), they are making you a slave to the corporations, and now these three deadly bills,” He said. He said.
“We are with you (farmers) and together we will stop these bills. I want to tell the government: it has made a big mistake. If farmers take to the streets, it will cause enormous damage. Don’t waste time, withdraw these laws immediately and give the farmers an MSP (Minimum Support Price) guarantee, ”Gandhi said.
On Thursday, Congress launched its “mass movement” against the government for “anti-peasant, anti-poor and black laws.”
The party has also decided to collect two million signatures from farmers protesting against the proposed legislation.
By announcing nearly two months of protests, the main Opposition party seeks to regain some of the political space it has lost over the years by attacking the country’s farmers. India has around 146 million farmers, based on the operational properties of the land, according to a 2015-16 agricultural census.
Congress also sees the issue as a moment in 2015 when Sonia Gandhi played a key role in uniting 14 opposition parties against the land acquisition bill that forced the BJP-led government to withdraw the controversial ordinance. and file the idea of bringing a new one. legislation to replace the 2013 Act.
As part of the program, Congress will hold several press conferences throughout the country. On Monday, senior leaders from the states will walk up to the respective Raj Bhavans and present a memorandum on farm bills to governors for delivery to the president.
On October 2, the anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, Congress will celebrate ‘Kisan-Mazdoor Bachao Divas (Day to Save Farmers and Farm Workers)’.
There will be protests and demonstrations in all districts of the country demanding the immediate withdrawal of the laws.
Statewide conferences will be held on October 10, and from October 2 to October 31, the party will collect signatures from 20 million farmers from all over the country.
On November 14, the anniversary of the birth of India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, a memorandum will be presented to the president, along with the signatures of 20 million farmers.
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