Farmers have been camping on the outskirts of Delhi since late November because of the new farm laws.
New Delhi:
As protests against the government’s new agricultural laws mount, all the leaders of the farmers’ corps, which are backing thousands of protesters who have been camping near Delhi’s borders since late November, will go on a hunger strike of a day duration and will hold demonstrations throughout the country. This is the second nationwide protest in less than a week after roads were blocked last Tuesday as part of a nationwide shutdown call backed by opposition parties and unions. Despite several rounds of talks with the government, farmers have said the protests will continue until new farm laws are removed.
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The protesters will also hold a nationwide rally at all district offices on Monday and a hunger strike from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., they said. The hunger strike is part of the farmers’ plan to intensify their agitation.
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Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday that he will fast alongside farmers. “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.
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Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Sunday accused opposition parties of propaganda against the new agricultural laws. “When reforms are undertaken, they will benefit farmers in the long term. But in the short term, some may have difficulties. We know that we cannot achieve any benefits without difficulties,” said the Union minister, who has held several rounds of representative negotiations. , was quoted by the PTI news agency.
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On Sunday, Delhi-Jaipur was closed for a few hours as farmers from Rajasthan and Haryana began marching towards the national capital. More than 4,000 policemen were on duty in Gurgaon and Faridabad to stop the march.
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The Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu) faction, one of the key organizations leading the farmers’ protest, saw discord on Sunday over the opening of a road from Noida to Delhi, a day after Thakur Bhanu Pratap Singh, the president of the organization. , met with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. BKU (Bhanu) UP unit chief Yogesh Pratap, who has been conducting a sit-in on Chilla Street for the past 12 days, did not agree with the decision.
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The farmers’ call to intensify the unrest came on Saturday, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “The reforms will help attract investment in agriculture and benefit farmers.”
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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.
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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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On Friday, the Bharatiya Kisan Union filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking to repeal them. The high court has already issued notices to the center on a number of petitions challenging the laws.
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Several opposition parties, including Congress, have criticized the government for handling the protests. Thousands of farmers have been camping on the outskirts of Delhi since late November. Many of them defied a brutal police crackdown last month in BJP-ruled Haryana before they were allowed into Delhi.
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