The ongoing protest by farmers against the three agricultural bills was strengthened on Sunday when several political parties, including Congress, Shiv Sena, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, extended their support for the national strike on December 8, the day before the next round. Conversations take place between the two parties. The protest, which entered its 11th day on Sunday, has so far been limited to Punjab, Haryana, Delhi. But with more farmers marching to Delhi and other states ‘farmers’ unions, commerce, transportation and banking unions spreading their support for the protest, the impact of the national strike will be felt everywhere.
Here are the top 10 updates from the protest:
1. Congress President Sonia Gandhi, CPN Leader Sharad Pawar, CPI (M) Secretary General Sitaram Yechury, DMK Head MK Stalin, and PAGD President Farooq Abdullah also issued a joint statement endorsing the proposed one-day strike. Congress, NCP, Shiv Sena, TRS, DMK, SP, AAP, Trinamool Congress, RJD, JJM, and left-wing parties have supported the strike.
2. Not just the opposition parties, the NDA allies also stepped up to support the farmers. The Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) supported the so-called bandh. Another BJP ally who has supported the protest is Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), which nevertheless refrained from joining hands for the national shutdown.
3. The head of the CPN and former union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar will meet with President Ram Nath Kovind on December 9. Meanwhile, a letter written by Pawar in 2010 to then-Dekhi CM Shiela Dikshit appeared on social media in which Pawar, as agriculture minister, had urged CMs to amend the APMC Act in their states to allow the private sector.
Four. BJP Secretary General BL Santosh shared an old newspaper article on Twitter that claimed that farmers wanted coporators to buy wheat. Attacking protesting farmers, he wrote: “This was in 2008. Farmers from Punjab and Haryana demand authorization for companies in agricultural marketing. Just understand the duplicity of the same unions now.”
5. India’s first Olympic boxing medalist and party leader Vijender Singh threatened to return his award to Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna if the central government does not withdraw the agricultural laws.
6. Actor Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) also extended his support for the farmers’ protest. A 10-member team will arrive in Delhi on Monday to meet with farmers.
7. State Minister for Agriculture Kailash Choudhury said Sunday that the laws will not be repealed. Amendments can be made if necessary, he said.
8. With the protests intensifying, the Singhu, Auchandi, Piao Maniyari and Mangesh borders of Delhi remained closed on Sunday.
9. Sunny Deol, a BJP MP from Punjab’s Gurdaspur, said on Sunday that he supports both the party and the farmers. The government always thinks of improving farmers, tweeted the actor-turned-politician.
10. Services likely to be interrupted on Tuesday include the supply of milk, vegetables and groceries, transportation and banking.
Farmers protest against the Agricultural Products Trade and Trade (Promotion and Facilitation) Act of 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Guarantee and the Agricultural Services Act of 2020 and the Essential Products Act (Amendment ) of 2020 – the acts they apprehend will corporatize agriculture.
.
