Amidst the ongoing agitation against the historic farm laws, over 2000 farmers have come out in of support the government in Indirapuram, Ghaziabad.
Equipped with over 300 tractors, the farmers took out a rally and tried to reach the National Capital via the UP gate on Monday. However, they were stopped at the border and only a 5-member delegation from Hind Mazdoor Kisan Samiti (HMKS) was allowed to go. The delegation met Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Monday and handed him a memorandum of demands.
While speaking on the development, HMKS Secretary Satish Kumar said, “We met the Union minister and extended our support to the government. We also handed over a memorandum of our demands in which we said that the new laws would end the exploitation by middlemen. We supported the continuation of the minimum support price (MSP), demanded that it be hiked and that the farmer should have the right to sell their produce anywhere.”
दशकों पुरानी मांग पूरी होने की खुशी में किसानों ने मेरठ से गाजियाबाद तक हज़ारों ट्रैक्टरों पर सवार हो कर कृषि बिल के समर्थन में रैली निकाली है।
— Swatantra Dev Singh (@swatantrabjp) December 21, 2020
(यह वीडियो देख कर कांग्रेसियों और दलालों को पीढ़ा होना स्वाभाविक है)#ModiWithFarmers pic.twitter.com/XpLkcCMQm6
Farmers extend their support to farm laws
Reportedly, the delegation of Hind Mazdoor Kisan Samiti’ (HMKS) emphasised that they must be included in government-level talks with anti-farm law protestors. Kumar added, “It seems that opposition to the three laws has some political motive behind it. When the Prime Minister has several times said that the new laws will not harm the interests of farmers, other groups are continuing to oppose the laws. However, we have no personal differences with them as they are also farmers like us.”
He added that HMKS had demanded the withdrawal of cases against farmers for stubble burning. The delegation highlighted that a buyer’s right is restricted to the produce and not the field. “We also submitted some of our issues pertaining to waiver of electricity bill, timely purchase of crop so that we can prepare for the next crop in time and also get our payments in time,” Satish Kumar emphasised.
We will sit for five years if needed, say farmers
In a video of a TV channel talking to farmers in Noida in UP, a farmer stated, “The three bills passed by PM Modi are beneficial to farmers. We have got out tractors and trolleys.” On being informed that the anti-farm law protestors have been refusing to vacate the protest site for 2 years, he replied, “If necessary, then, we will sit for 5 years in support of PM Modi.” Another farmer said, “We are all in support (of farm laws). If Anti-CAA protestors are sitting on protest for 2 years, then, we are ready to sit for 5 years.”