NEW DELHI: West Bengal is on its way to become the sixth state in the country to pass a resolution against Centre’s three farm laws. All these six states are ruled by parties opposed to the NDA. Meanwhile, BJP leaders from Punjab met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and alleged that Maoists had sneaked into the farmers’ protests.
Here are the key developments:
1. Continuing her tirade against Centre over the new farm laws, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said arrangements would soon be made to convene an assembly session to pass a resolution against the contentious acts. With assembly polls knocking at the door, Banerjee also hinted at implementing the PM-Kisan scheme in Bengal if the farmers benefitted out of it. She said she's had asked Centre to share details of all those who have registered themselves on the Union government's portal for the programme. Banerjee, however, asserted that she would never allow the implementation of the three farm laws, which have sparked protests across the country. "We are against those farm laws. We would soon convene an assembly session for a day or two and pass a resolution against the anti-farmer laws," Banerjee said. Bengal, if it passes the resolution, would become the sixth state in the country to do so, after Kerala, Delhi, Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.
2. Farmers protesting against the new agriculture laws deferred their proposed tractor march from January 6 to January 7 due to a bad weather forecast, even as they asserted they will intensify their stir in the coming days. Addressing a press conference at Singhu Border, Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav said "it has been seven months" since the new laws came into force and the government has held seven round of talks with farmers since then, but it has not listened to "seven words" of farmers which are: "We want repeal of the farm laws".
3. The government should shed its arrogance and repeal the agri laws against which farmers are protesting, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said. He also accused the Modi government of apathy towards the death of "over 60 farmers". "The Modi government's apathy and arrogance have claimed the lives of over 60 farmers. Instead of wiping their tears, the government of India (GOI) is busy attacking them with tear gas. Such brutality, just to promote crony capitalists' business interests. Repeal the anti-farm laws," he said on Twitter.
4. BJP leaders from Punjab met Prime Minister Narendra Modi amid protests by farmers at Delhi's borders against the centre's new agri laws for nearly six weeks. BJP leaders Surjit Kumar Jyani, a former Punjab minister, and Harjit Singh Grewal met Prime Minister Modi at his residence. Jyani was chairing the BJP's Kisan Coordination Committee for interacting with farmers in Punjab last year on the three farm bills which at that time had not been passed by Parliament. Grewal was also a member of the committee. Jyani said the farmers should not be adamant, they should leave their demand of repealing agri laws. PM understands Punjab very well and gives priority to farmers, he said after meeting the PM. Harjit Singh Grewal alleged that Maoists have entered farmers' agitation, not letting the issue get resolved.
5. Madhya Pradesh agriculture minister Kamal Patel said farmers staging protest on Delhi borders against Centre's new agri laws have rejected pleas to end their stir as they are "enacting a drama to sleep" and it is not possible to "awake" such persons. "They (agitators) are not listening to us as we can awaken a person who is actually sleeping, but not the one who is enacting a drama to sleep, he told mediapersons. The minister was asked about the reasons behind farmers staging protest despite severe cold and rains, and no outcome in talks with the central government on the issue of the new agriculture laws. The senior BJP leader claimed that most farmers in the country are with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the three new agri-marketing laws.
6. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP of favouring wealthy people over farmers. In a tweet in Hindi, Akhilesh Yadav said, "The biggest problem with the BJP government is that it does not consider itself as a public representative (jan pratinidhi) but as wealth representative (dhan pratinidhi).” Hence, for the wealthy people, it is putting farmers' interest at stake, he said, adding that the BJP has forgotten that those whom it is causing harm constitute two-third population of the country and never accept defeat. Earlier too, the Samajwadi Party chief had accused the BJP of giving importance to its "capitalist friends" and said the farmers' protest against the new agriculture laws is an example of the government's "failure".