‘Andolan gave India freedom’: Farm unions slam PM’S speech
Karn Pratap Singh and Kainat Sarfaraz
Protesters camped at the Capital’s borders against three new farm laws reiterated their demand that Minimum Support Prices (MSP) be legally guaranteed, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the Rajya Sabha, sought to assure farmers that the procurement regime would continue to exist, and urged them to call off their agitation and continue discussions.
Responding to the debate on the motion of thanks on the President’s address in the Rajya Sabha, Modi on Monday also spoke of people he termed “aandolanjeevis” (those who live off protests) and warned against the alleged influence of FDI (“foreign destructive ideology”)
Farmer leaders condemned Modi’s statements, calling it an “insult of farmers”, and said they are ready for fresh talks, but with the condition that the “prime minister holds the meeting with the farmers”.
“Farmers of this country respect the Constitution, the elected government and the PM’S rank and dignity. If the PM wants the next round of talks, we are ready for it. But we urge the PM that he should hold the meeting with us, understand the concerns of the farmers, and end this deadlock. Multiple rounds of meetings with the Union agriculture minister have yielded no results so far,” said Satnam Singh Sahni, general secretary of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Doaba group), at the Singhu border.
Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Modi said the farm laws should be given a chance, while reiterating that MSP will continue and doubling down on the government’s commitment to modernise agricultural markets. “MSP was there. MSP is there. MSP will remain in the future,” the PM said.
However, protesters and prominent farm leaders were unmoved by the assurances and demanded that the government ensure legal provisions to “protect farmers from businesspersons.”
NEW DELHI:
BKU (Tikait) faction national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait, who has been leading the farmers’ agitation at Ghazipur border, said: “There are no laws now, so businesspersons loot farmers. Authorities have tried to taint the movement by various means. The movement is not led by political leaders, but farmers who demand the repeal of these laws. There will be no business over hunger, and this is what we are fighting against.”
A farmer from Punjab’s Moga, Sadhu Singh said: “Nobody knowingly consumes poison. When we know that the new farm laws are poisonous, why is Modi ji asking us to consume it. We (farmers) know what is good for us and we are fighting for our rights. We will leave only when the laws are repealed”
On Monday evening, Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), the umbrella body of the 40 farmers’ unions, issued a press statement, condemning the Prime Minister’s “aandolanjeevi” remark.
“SKM condemns the insulting of farmers by prime minister. Farmers would like to remind the PM that it is andolans that have liberated India from colonial rulers, which is why we are proud to be aandolanjeevi,” the statement read.
“The PM’S FDI approach is dangerous too, even as we distance ourselves from any Foreign Destructive Ideology,” the statement continued.
“SKM stands with constructive democratic processes, which uphold basic human rights anywhere in the world and expects similar reciprocation from all likeminded citizens all over the world because “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” the farmer group said in their statement.
Avtar Singh, another farmer leader from Uttarakhand camping at the Ghazipur border, said, “We had voted for this government for ‘acche din’ and jobs. But we got these laws in return. There was no need to pass these laws during the pandemic with no consultation and we will continue the agitation till the laws are repealed.”
Extra cops deployed at borders withdrawn
The additional deployment of Delhi Police personnel at the three borders points of Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur, where farmers are camping for over two months to protest against the three farm laws,was withdrawn from Monday evening. The security arrangements in these places will now be taken care of by personnel belonging to the police districts concerned, senior police officers privy to the development said.
Hundreds of personnel from various Delhi Police units such as crime, police control room (PCR), railways, vigilance, economic offences wing (EOW), licensing, headquarters, and police training college (PTC), were mobilised to the three borders points on security duty during the farmers’ tractor rally on January 26 and the chakka jam call on February 6.
On Monday, special commissioner of police (operations and licensing) Muktesh Chandra issued a message, referred to as TPM, to all the units and their heads regarding the withdrawal of the internal mobilisation done for the farmers’ rally and law and order duty.
The entire staff have been told to return to their respective units from Tuesday.
“The available resources in the districts concerned will now be used to maintain law and order and security at the farmers’ agitation sites. They will be assisted by personnel from the paramilitary forces,” said a senior police officer, who did not want to be named.
Deputy commissioner of police (outer-north) Rajeev Ranjan said, “The situation at the Singhu border is under control and peaceful. We have adequate force deployed round-the-clock at the border, near the protest site to deal with any contingency.”