Farmers leaders to visit West Bengal, Assam in bid to accelerate Anti-BJP campaign ahead of local polls
-RLD leader says government adopting tactics to break farmers protest
-Indian Farmers protest inters 105th day on Wednesday
DM Monitoring
NEW DELHI: The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farmer unions protesting against the Centre’s three farm reform laws, said it would send a team of leaders to the poll-bound West Bengal and Assam in a bid to appeal to voters not to vote for the “anti-farmer” BJP.
Farmer leader Darshan Pal said in a statement that the visit will be spread over three days starting from March 12.
Meanwhile, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Jayant Chaudhary alleged that the government was adopting tactics to break the ongoing protests over the new agriculture reform laws but has been unable to do so because of farmers’ unity.
Addressing a ‘panchayat’ at Bhatta Parsaul in Greater Noida, Chaudhary also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said he talks about Rs 2,000 support to farmers but never mentions how his government was taking back more from the people with inflated price of fuel, fertilisers and LPG.
What has happened since early this year: The Supreme Court had earlier ordered a stay on the implementation of these contentious laws, hoping it will end the protest.
The farm union leaders have also rejected the Centre’s proposal to suspend implementation of the laws for 18 months.
On January 26, the protest turned violent when some farmers deviated from a pre-decided route for their Republic Day tractor rally and clashed with police. Some protesters scaled the ramparts of the Red Fort. Several protestors and police personnel were injured in the ensuing clashes.
The farmers’ unions also held a ‘chakka jam’ on February 6 where they blocked national and state highways to protest the internet ban in areas near their agitation sites and harassment allegedly meted out to them by authorities, among other issues.
Farmers protests enter 105th day: The ‘Delhi Chalo’ farmers’ protest at border points of New Delhi has entered the 105th day as of yesterday. Thousands of farmers, especially from Punjab and Haryana, are staging a sit-in protest along Delhi borders. The protest started on November 26, 2020. Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2.00 pm yesterday, for the second time in the pre-lunch period, after the Congress and other opposition party members created an uproar demanding a discussion on farm reform laws.
The proceedings were first adjourned till 12.00 pm and then again till 2.00 pm after the opposition members trooped into the Well of the Hosue raising slogans. The pleas by Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and then by Deputy Chairman Harivansh went unheeded as opposition members continued to create a ruckus in the House.
