KEJRIWAL SLAMS FARM LAWS AT MAHAPANCHAYAT HELD IN MEERUT
MEERUT: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday described farmers as true patriots and alleged that fake cases were being lodged against them in the context of the agitation against the three new agriculture reform laws.
Speaking at a Kisan Mahapanchayat in Meerut, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader termed the new laws as “a death warrant” for farmers. He said the farmers were in a “do or die” battle because they felt the government would hand over their land to corporates and they would become labourers on their own land.
He said that all the governments in the past 70 years cheated farmers on their demand for an appropriate price for their crops, adding, “but nothing happens after elections”.
MEERUT: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday described farmers as true patriots and alleged that fake cases were lodged against them in the context of the agitation against three new agriculture reform laws. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader was speaking at a Kisan Mahapanchayat in Meerut.
He termed these new laws as “a death warrant” for farmers. He said the farmers were in a “do or die” battle because they felt the government would hand over their land to corporates and they would become labourers on their own land.
He said that all the governments in the past 70 years cheated farmers on their demand for an appropriate price for their crops, adding, “but nothing happens after elections”.
He also indicated that farmers had nothing to do with the violence that took place on Republic Day at Red Fort during the farmers’ tractor rally.
Without taking any names but indicating the involvement of others, he said, “Yeh Lal Quila ka kaand inhone khud karaya. Lal Quila par jhanda inke karyakartaon ne faharaya (They orchestrated the Red Fort incident on January 26.Their workers hoisted the flag at the Red Fort).”
“People met me thereafter and told (me) protesters were deliberately diverted from the prescribed route. Our farmers can be anything but anti-nationals,” he added.
He demanded that fake cases should not be registered against farmers. He also presented a formula for giving a guarantee to purchase 23 crops at minimum support price (MSP).
Kejriwal said BJP leaders
every day claimed MSP existed and it would remain.
“I challenge Yogiji (UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath) to mention to me one mandi (market) in UP where crops were purchased at MSP,” he said.
The Delhi chief minister also spoke about the issues of sugarcane payment, escalating electricity bills, rising prices of fuel and fertilisers.
He appealed to the gathering to bring a government with clear intentions in the state to solve all their problems.
“Bring a government with clear intentions and farmers would receive the payment before reaching their home after supplying sugarcane to mills,” he said as the crowd hailed him with slogans like “Arvind Kejriwal zindabad” and “desh ka neta kaisa ho Arvind Kejriwal jaisa ho”. The Aam Aadmi Party has already announced that it would contest the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections due in FebruaryMarch next year.
He said he was the first person who contacted Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait after he burst into tears because of the “atrocities” on farmers at the Ghazipur border.
“I was the first person to contact Rakesh Tikait on the phone and made arrangements for drinking water and toilets for farmers on his appeal,” the AAP leader said. Referring to the Delhi government’s free electricity scheme, he said, “I was also under tremendous pressure and told that power companies were powerful, therefore, we can’t do much for minimizing power cuts and providing free electricity. But we did that.” AAP Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh, local farmer leaders and the party’s state president Sabhajeet Singh shared the dais with Kejriwal. Sanjay Singh and Sabhajeet Singh had visited many leaders of khaps (clan-based councils) to mobilise support for the mahapanchayat. The stage had photographs of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, one of the tallest farmer leaders of the country, and the late BKU chief Mahendra Singh Tikait.
Kejriwal ended his speech with the slogan “Chaudhary Charan Singh Amar Rahe”.
He also honoured khap chaudharies (khap leaders) on the stage and sought their blessings.