United Nations: “People have the right to demonstrate peacefully and the authorities should allow them to do so,” said Antonio Guterres, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General on the farmers’ protests in India.
India has called the statements by foreign leaders about the farmers’ protests “misinformed” and “unjustified” as the matter concerned the internal affairs of a democratic country.
“On the Indian issue, what I would tell you is that what I have said to others in raising these issues is that people have the right to demonstrate peacefully and the authorities should allow them to do so,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the Secretary General said Friday. Dujarric was answering a question about the farmers’ protest in India.
In response to comments from foreign leaders, on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said: “We have seen some misinformed comments related to Indian farmers. Such comments are unjustified, especially when they refer to the internal affairs of a democratic country. “
In a concise message, the ministry further added that “it is also better that diplomatic talks are not misrepresented for political purposes.”
On Friday, India summoned the High Commissioner of Canada and told him that the comments made by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and others in his cabinet on the farmers’ protest constituted “unacceptable interference” in the country’s internal affairs and that these actions If it continues, there will be a “seriously damaging” impact on bilateral relations.
Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and several other states have been protesting for the past nine days on the borders of Delhi against three agricultural laws. Calling these laws “anti-farmer”, farmers claim that the newly enacted legislation would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the “mercy” of large corporations. However, the government has argued that the new laws will provide farmers with better opportunities and usher in new technologies in agriculture.
The government and farmers’ unions are scheduled to hold the fifth round of talks on the new farm laws on Saturday.
(PTI)
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