New Delhi:
Delhi Prime Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday that he will fast alongside farmers on Monday to protest the centre’s new farm laws that have sparked a massive demonstration since last month outside the capital.
“Tomorrow I will be doing a one-day fast in support of farmers’ protests. I am calling on AAP volunteers to join. The center must immediately accept all demands from farmers protesting against the laws and present a bill to guarantee the minimum support price (MSP), “said Mr Kejriwal.
“Thousands of people support farmers in their struggle. I call on everyone to fast one day to show their solidarity. These new laws are harmful to the country. They decriminalize speculation and hoarding. They will help raise prices,” he said . .
Thousands of farmers have been camping on the outskirts of Delhi since late November demanding the government repeal laws that they say will eventually dismantle the country’s regulated markets and leave them at the mercy of private buyers.
The government has tried to involve the leaders of farmers’ organizations and even the Union Interior Minister Amit Shah chimed in for the talks, offering changes to the laws and written guarantees, but the protesters held firm.
The protesters, who defied a brutal police crackdown last month in BJP-ruled Haryana before they were allowed into Delhi, threatened to escalate their demonstrations by blocking national roads and staging a hunger strike across the country on Monday.
Voted in parliament in September with little debate, the laws only give farmers an additional option to sell their produce, the government argues, but small farmers fear that once large companies enter the market, they will lose collateral on the products. prices.
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