Actress Gul Panag with women farmers during the Kisan Sansad against the Centre’s farm reform laws at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Monday.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday drove a tractor to reach the Parliament to register his protest against the three farm laws. The Congress leader said that he has brought farmers’ message to the Parliament. At Jantar Mantar, about 200 women farmers from Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana gathered for a ‘Kisan Sansad’ to continue the agitation against the contentious laws

Mr Gandhi along with party MPs Pratap Singh Bajwa, Ravneet Singh Bittu and Deepinder Singh Hooda also carried banners and raised slogans.

“These laws are aimed at helping only two-three industrialists. The entire country knows for who whom these laws have been brought. These laws are not for the benefit of farmers and that is why they have to be withdrawn,” Mr Gandhi told reporters.

Congress leaders Randeep Surjewala, Deepender Hooda and Youth Congress chief BV Srinivas along with a number of party leaders were detained by the Delhi Police outside Parliament and taken to Mandir marg police station.

The detained Congress leaders raised slogans demanding the withdrawal of farm laws.

The police said the department and other agencies were not aware of the tractor rally and no permission was taken from the local police station either.

The women farmers raised slogans demanding scrapping of the three farm laws and their ‘Kisan Sansad’ was moderated by politician and speaker Subhasini Ali. The focus of Monday’s ‘Kisan Sansad’ was the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 and the farmers’ demand for the enactment of a law guaranteeing remunerative minimum support price (MSP) for their crops.

It commenced with the singing of the national anthem, followed by the observation of a twominute silence in the memory of the farmers who have died during the eight-month agitation.

“Today’s ‘sansad’ will showcase the strength of women. Women can farm as well run the country, and today everybody here is a politician,” Ali said.

Asserting that the farmers protest against the three “black laws” and their demand for MSP will continue, she said, “The government keeps calling us (farmers) by different names like terrorists, Khalistanis, etc. But if they have the strength, then they should not eat the food produced by these terrorists and Khalistanis.”

Neetu Khanna, a farmer leader, said it is shameful that the government is “mistreating” the farmers when “they are the ones who keep the country alive”.

Another participant, Nav Kiran, demanded the withdrawal of the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, claiming it is “anti-woman, antipoor, and anti-common man”.