NEW DELHI: The farmer unions protesting against the three central farm laws on Sunday announced fresh events from February 23 to 27 in a bid to intensify their ongoing agitation. They will organise demonstrations from March 8 onwards when Parliament meets again for the budget session. Meanwhile, the BJP has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the reforms undertaken by his government in the agriculture sector.
Here are the key developments of the day:
1. Protesting farmers have said they will soon devise a strategy to keep the protest going for a long period of time. They also accused the government of adopting "repressive" measures against them. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), which is spearheading the protests, told a press conference here that under their proposed escalation programme, February 23 will be observed as 'Pagadi Sambhal Diwas' and February 24 as 'Daman Virodhi Diwas', essentially to underline that farmers must be respected and no "repressive measures" should be taken against them. The Morcha said February 26 will be observed as 'Yuva Kisan Diwas' (youth farmers day) and February 27 as 'Mazdoor Kisan Ekta Diwas' (farmer-labourer unity day). A long-term plan for movement will be discussed in view of the Parliament session from March 8, and the strategy will be shared in the next meeting of SKM, it said.
2. The BJP passed a resolution thanking Prime Minister Modi for reforms in the agriculture sector and for his able leadership in effective handling of the COVID-19 situation. The resolution was passed in the first meeting of the BJP's new set of national office-bearers and it was chaired by party chief JP Nadda. During the meeting, Modi told party leaders to take the benefits of the new farm laws to the people. The meeting was inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi and it started by paying tributes to those who lost their lives due to the coronavirus. The political resolution was passed thanking the prime minister for the reforms in the agriculture sector and his able leadership in effective handling of the pandemic, BJP vice president Raman Singh said at a press conference. Earlier, BJP general secretary Arun Singh had informed that during the course of the meet, discussions will be held on farm laws, Aatmanirbhar Bharat and upcoming state polls.
3. Alleging that notices are being served on people backing the agitation against the farm laws, BKU leader Balbir Singh Rajewal asked farmers to gherao Delhi Police personnel if they come to their villages to make an arrest. The BKU (Rajewal) leader also asked the Amarinder Singh-led Punjab government that the state police should not cooperate with the Delhi police personnel. “If the Delhi Police personnel come to arrest you, gather the entire village and oppose them," Rajewal told farmers at a "Kisan-Mazdoor Ekta Maha Rally” in Punjab's Barnala. The rally was organised by the BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) and the Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union. Two days ago, Haryana BKU chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni had made a similar appeal. Rajewal asked farmers not to appear before the Delhi Police if they get notices for joining investigation and told them to 'gherao' the Delhi Police personnel if they come to make an arrest. Claiming that the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre is scared of the farmers' agitation, he alleged that those serving 'langar' or extending help to farmers at the protest sites near Delhi borders are being issued notices by police.
4. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, in a meeting with farmer leaders, said that the three farm laws are a "death warrant" to the farmers. Kejriwal had invited farmer leaders from western Uttar Pradesh for lunch at the Delhi assembly. "The three anti-farmer laws are death warrants to the farmers. If these laws are implemented then the agriculture of India will go into the hands of some industrialists and the farmers will be devastated," the CM said. He added that if these laws are implemented, the farmers of India will become labourers in their own land. He also demanded that the central government immediately withdraw all the three "black laws" and the legal guarantee of MSP be granted to all the 23 crops following the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission. The meeting was attended by over 40 farmer leaders from western UP.
5. Wheat growers in Madhya Pradesh will be the worst hit by the centre's new farm laws as it would force them to sell their produce to private players at throwaway prices instead of MSP, state Congress chief Kamal Nath said. He said MP was the highest wheat producer in the country but it had started to fall behind Punjab. "Wheat growers in MP will be the biggest losers due to the new laws, which encourage sale of wheat to private parties at throwaway prices. Farmers will not be able to reap benefits of the MSP mechanism," Nath told party workers in a meeting. He also accused the BJP-led government at the centre of diverting people's attention from real issues, and claimed that "ahead of hiking the prices of petrol and diesel, a fund raising drive for Ram Temple construction was launched to divert attention".
6. Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh has appealed to the centre not to make revoking its three farm laws a prestige issue and consider so to find a long-term solution to the problem. Observing that an early resolution to the problem was critical to the safety of Punjab, witnessing a surge in smuggling of weapons into the state from across the border during the past five-six months, he asserted that he and his government continue to stand with farmers on the issue. He said even in his written speech submitted to the Niti Aayog for circulation during its Saturday's meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he had categorically underscored the need for an “urgent resolution” of the current agitation “to the satisfaction of protesting farmers by addressing all their grievances”. “It is farmers who have to decide what is in their interest and to what extent they are willing to compromise, if at all, on their demand for the repeal of the farm laws,” said the chief minister in a statement.
(With agency inputs)