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Farm laws were legislated due to need of bringing investment and new technologies to our agriculture said PM in Lok Sabha-INC, TMC & other opposition leaders staged walkout

parliament

The proceedings in the Lok Sabha, on Wednesday extended till midnight, propelled by the demand of explanation on the farm laws & other issues by the opposition leaders. Parliament was shaken by the accusations made by MP Mohua Moitra on the GOI on a range of issues, which has triggered further debates. The farmers’ protests, on an overall basis, have been a major source of discussion in the parliament this week.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered explanations & government’s arguments in reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s discourse, in Lok Sabha. Following the Prime minister’s address, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was scheduled to start the discussion on the Union Budget on the behalf of his Party.

Talking on the Union Budget, Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Wednesday said that while the NDA government blames the UPA government for doing vote bank politics, they(current government) at the end of the day, have done likewise in the budget  this year by granting foundation projects to the states which are going to surveys this year. “The government takes part in vote bank politics in budget. Outside the budget, it engages in note-bank politics,” he said.

Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy on Wednesday denied that any civilian, including a journalist, was privy to information related to the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

Three farm laws were formulated by GOI as these reforms are significant and essential, said PM. He also added that Congress MPs in the House made accusations about the colour of the laws (black/white); it would have been better if they had discussed on the substance and intent of the laws. This is the reason, PM added, why senior Ministers of the Government are continually conversing with them. There is incredible regards of the government for the farmers, he further assured, adding that the Farm laws were passed through an Ordinance and later by Parliament.

PM pointed out that neither any of the mandis were closed after the passing of these laws, nor did the MSP end anywhere in the country. PM further added that it is a reality that the MSP system has consolidated after the laws were passed.

PM Modi also said that the government has taken many initiatives for helping small farmers adding that FPOs are being established for helping small farmers. He further added that the speech by President showcased India’s  ‘Sankalp Shakti’. He went on to say that the Centre respected the sentiments of all the protesters adding that senior ministers had held talks with farmer leaders even when the protest was limited to Punjab.

In Lok Sabha, PM added that those who are disrupting the House are doing so according to a well-planned strategy. He added that the opposition were questioning the colour of the farm-laws and till now nobody had asked for laws on dowry or triple talaq. He further added that we need to bring investment and new technologies into our agriculture, & till these are not done, we would not make our cultivating areas financially or materially productive. He added that we need to go beyond growing just wheat and paddy.

The Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020 was passed in the Rajya Sabha. The Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was examined by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday afternoon.

Parliament saw various interruptions in the recent days, as the Opposition constantly conflicted with the Centre over its disagreeable new farm laws.

Leaders of opposition parties such as the Congress and the TMC were seen leaving the lower house during the PM’s address. Congress leader Adhir Chowdhury said that he and other leaders of the party walked out as Modi did not address concerns over the farmers’ death.

“He (Modi) agreed that amendments are required in #FarmLaws, some states will be benefitted & some would not. Why do you have to bring laws that would not be benefitting everyone?” Chowdhury added.

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When the authorities and others call the farmers Khalistanis, it hurts & it hurts a lot

farmers protests

The constant labeling of the farmer-protesters as Khalistani is hurting the sentiments of the farmers protesting against the three farm-laws. The farmers from across India, prominently from Punjab, Haryana, & West UP are camped at the agitation sites at the Delhi border regions in the protests which have lasted more than two months.

Gradually the protesters are expressing their anguish at the false labeling, especially after Republic Day, when their sons in the army are at the international border guarding the national frontiers.

Surjit Singh, a farmer from Ransinh Khurd village of Punjab’s Moga district, is a busy man these days. He is sending more men to the Tikri border to join the ongoing protests against the Centre’s farm laws. Adjoining villages are also sending people in turns.

“Instead of them going in tractor-trolleys like earlier days of the protest, we are now sending 15-20 from each village in a minibus. They sleep in the temporary tents already made at dharna site or even in the previous trolleys parked at protest sites. The minibus hence is used for pick up and drops only,” he said.

 Surjit added, “Minibus drops them and comes back; after a week, the same bus driver takes the second batch from the village to drop them and picks the previous batch to bring them back home. Now after the January 26 violence, we prefer that villagers travel together in groups instead of going all alone. Moreover, there are many tractors already parked at the protest site.”

 Surjit further added, “Since the start, we have been fighting against the black laws and this is our only agenda. But BJP is repeatedly giving statements and labelling us as Khalistanis since the start of the protest. This is what hurts us most. Our sons serve at the borders and we have suffered in the black days of terrorism. Hence, labeling someone who is against the ruling government’s policy as separatists is not justified.”

Also Read: The unprecedented protests by farmers: Background, Unions, Loopholes in the laws & role of Charan Singh

The effect was visible in Shamaspur village of Fatehgarh Sahib district, when 80-year-old Gurmukh Singh of this village, associated with SAD (Amritsar), was arrested in Delhi in connection with the January 26 violence. His family refused to talk to the media, expecting that they will be asked questions related to Khalistan. Harpinder Singh, sarpanch of the village said, “The family is in shock and hence wants to avoid all questions.”

In his speech from Tikri border on January 5, Shingara Singh Mann, vice-president of BKU Ugrahan, had said, “The ruling government is trying to snub us by calling us terrorists, Khalistanis, by erecting walls around our protest sites and even by using spikes to strengthen these barricades. They even call us Naxalites, instigated by Pakistan or China. This is how they treat residents of their own country who dare to protest against a full majority government, against their wrong policies.”

Also See: Overview of Farmers’ protests- role of Charan Singh

Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) leaders have also stated in their speeches a number of times that the NDA government “should stop working on the agendas of dividing people on the basis of religion”. Amandeep Kaur from Istri Jagrtii Manch said, “After the January 26 episode, a shock wave had traveled across the state, and a number of villagers had started calling up their parents sitting at Delhi borders to come back home. A situation to polarize people had emerged, but fortunately, people understood the divisive plans of anti-social elements and once again resolved to protest with a united face against farm laws.”

Narpinder Singh, a Doraha-based farmer, who had gone to Delhi borders in December, used to stand holding posters that said ‘I am a farmer, not a terrorist’, on a daily basis. “This was the most hurtful thing that emerged out of this protest,” he said.

The agitation has seen participation from many families whose children are serving in the Army. So much so, Virsa Singh, father of Sepoy Gurtej Singh from Beerewala Dogra of Mansa, had also visited Delhi borders repeatedly. The Mahavir Chakra award was announced for Gurtej, who was killed in the Galwan valley in a clash with Chinese troops, on January 25.

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In the reply to the motion of thanks on President’s address, PM defends the farm laws and added that MSP would not go away

PM_Modi

Defending the ground for the farm laws, PM in the reply to the motion of thanks on President Kovind’s address, asked a chance to be given to the farm laws. He also added that the MSP system of price assurance would not be done away with.

PM asked the protesters to go back and that the government is open to talks. He also added that the farm-laws had been stalled for decades.  In his reply, Modi also added that the credit for battling the pandemic goes to the citizenry and not the government. TMC MPs staged a walk-out from the house when the PM’s speech began.

Also See: An overview of farmers’ protests- role of Charan Singh

The main point of concern still remains; whether the statement is just a fancy line to distract from the provisions in the laws, which points to the least selling point for the farm produce based on three aspects, ie: quality grade and standard. The fact that MSP stays does not necessarily imply that it would be implemented in procurement especially in the context of the new farm-laws which gives wide array of chances to avoid price assurance. It remains to be seen what reactions the speech draws from the farmer-unions and thier leaders.

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As GOI says it is ready for talks, reply to the discussion on the Motion of Thanks in the Rajya Sabha by the Prime Minister will be under focus

farmer protests

On Monday, the reply to the discussion on the Motion of Thanks in the Rajya Sabha by the Prime Minister will be keenly watched for possible cues of the course of action of the GOI in the ongoing farmers’ agitation.

His reply in the Lok Sabha on the contentious farm-laws is likely to take place on Tuesday.

Sources linked with BJP stated, “The plank of the international conspiracy against the country gives the BJP enough talking points in the election-bound states. That may play out in the reply to the motion of thanks by the PM.”  The comment came in the backdrop of the huge Twitter storm created by the concerns shown by international celebrities over the farmers’ protests.

While the government has said that it is open to discussions, the farmers’ unions have asserted that the talks could resume only when the cases filed by the police for the Republic Day violence are withdrawn.

Also See: An overview of farmers’ protests- role of Charan Singh

At the same time, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar in his intervention during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks in the Rajya Sabha dropped enough hints of the government not yielding to the demands of the repeal of the laws. Many observers in the intelligentsia and the non-BJP parties have stated that this betrays the profound ignorance of the GOI to the plights and the resultant anger among the farming community.

The GOI has also been castigated by many for demeaning the farmers as terrorists and Khalistanis, supported by loud-mouthed people like Kangana Ranaut acting as mouth-piece for the government.

The Lok Sabha is yet to see discussion on the motion of thanks due to the unrelenting protests by the Opposition, particularly the Congress, which has been insisting on a separate discussion on the farmers’ protests.

On Sunday, Tomar said that the ongoing farmers’ protests against the Centre’s three new farm laws are limited to a certain area and expressed hope to break the deadlock over the issue soon.

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Sonakshi Sinha stood out as one of the exceptions in B-town who spoke out against the concerted efforts to stifle farmers’ movement which has got international attention

It looks like a star has stood up to the description, which was coincidentally the name of her debut movie-Dabangg. A day after a raft of celebrities led a government-backed pushback against international criticism of authorities in India trying to stifle the two-month-long farmers’ protests, actor Sonakshi Sinha joined the handful of public figures who spoke out against the concerted campaign.

“The voices raised are about the violation of human rights, suppressions of free internet and expression, state propaganda, hate speech and abuse of power,” Sonakshi Sinha posted as an Instagram story.

“Journalists are being harassed. Internet has been banned. Protesters are being vilified through state and media propaganda. Hate speech (desh ke gaddaro ko, goli maro sardaro ko resurfaced) is flourishing. THAT is the issue that’s taken global centre stage,” she wrote.

“To re-iterate, news tonight will try to paint a picture that ‘outside forces’ are trying to meddle in the functioning of our country. Please don’t give in to that narrative. It’s human, standing up for other humans. THAT’S the narrative,” Ms. Sinha added.

Apart from Sonakshi, Richa Chaddha, Tapsee Pannu & Sushant, who had played the role of the revolutionary freedom fighter Sukhdev Thapar, are some of the exceptions who have refused to fall in the line of the government-backed tweet campaign. Sushant had specifically stated in his Tweeter feed that he stands with farmers till the end.

Also Read: Punishment of calling farmers as terrorists- Kangna’s Tweets deleted

Sonakshi Sinha’s post was in response to an avalanche of tweets by actors, cricketers, ministers, Indian missions abroad and leaders and supporters of the ruling BJP that pushed the two government-backed hashtags #IndiaTogether and #IndiaAgainstPropaganda to the top of Twitter trends on Wednesday.

The campaign came amid international condemnation of the government’s efforts to choke the farmers’ protest, with internet shutdowns, barbed wire, road spikes concrete walls, and a media blockade, spurred by a tweet from US-based pop star Rihanna.

Comment of Shatrughan Sinha

Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha on Friday spoke out against the coordinated pushback against international celebrities supporting the two-month-long farmers’ protest, saying that it amounted to interference no more than Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s endorsement of Donald Trump ahead of the US elections. The Congress leader also asked whether the Indian celebrities who led the government-backed social media campaign against tweets by the likes of US-based pop star Rihanna and climate activist Greta Thunberg felt compelled to join the drive.

Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at Delhi’s borders for over two months demanding that the three new farm-laws, which they say will leave them at the mercy of corporates, be repealed.

The government has challenged the view and made efforts to have them removed or have their access to information and supporters cut off.

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US embassy has urged GOI to resume talks with the farmers after Tweeter-storm brings international attention to the protests

The U.S. embassy in New Delhi has urged GOI to resume talks with farmers whose months-long protests over the farm-laws erupted into violence last week.

India’s Foreign Ministry said that it had “taken note” of the comments and underlined ongoing efforts between GOI and farmer-groups to resolve the situation.

“We encourage that any differences between the parties be resolved through dialogue,” a U.S. embassy spokesperson said in a statement.

Also Read: The unprecedented protests by farmers: Background, Unions, Loopholes in the laws & role of Charan Singh

Modi’s government has held multiple rounds of talks with representatives of thousands of farmers who have camped, mostly peacefully, on the outskirts of New Delhi since late last year.

But no talks have been held since January 26, when some protesters clashed with police in the heart of the capital city following a military parade to mark Republic Day, and no indication has been given of when they might resume.

Television images of protesters occupying the ramparts of New Delhi’s historic Red Fort and later clashing with police drew international attention to the confrontation between Modi’s government and the farmers.

Also Read: Biden administration may place Ambani and Adani under sanctions guided by Magnitsky Act of 2012

The farmers, who enjoy most support in northern India’s breadbasket states, argue that the three new farm-laws will hurt their interests while benefiting large firms.

But GOI says that the reforms will bring much-needed investment to a farm sector that accounts for nearly 15% of India’s $2.9 trillion economy but about half its workforce.

Efforts to suppress protests

Police remain on guard against further attempts by farmers to bring the protests into the capital, and have reinforced barricades at three main sites.

Earlier this week internet services were temporarily suspended in some areas, drawing widespread criticism, including from international activists and celebrities.

“We recognize that unhindered access to information, including the internet, is fundamental to the freedom of expression and a hallmark of a thriving democracy,” the U.S. embassy spokesperson said.

In response to social media posts on the internet shutdowns, India’s Foreign Ministry had said that vested interest groups were mobilizing international support against the country.

“Any protests must be seen in the context of India’s democratic ethos and polity, and the ongoing efforts of the government and the concerned farmer groups to resolve the impasse,” ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said.

Farm union leaders have been calling for a repeal of the new laws and to make the government’s crop price guarantee scheme (MSP) legally binding, and for the withdrawal of legal cases against protesters.

But some farmer groups have expanded their list of demands. At a rally in northern Haryana state on Wednesday, thousands of farmers from the politically influential Jat community backed a call to waive farm loans and increase crop prices paid by the government.

“If the government does not concede to our demands, thousands more farmers will march towards Delhi,” Kek Ram Kandela, a leader among the Jat farmers, told the rally attended by more than 50,000 people.

(Reuters)

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Farmers’ protests: Thousands had converged for ‘kisan mahapanchayat’ in UP’s Shamli defying prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC

The farmers’ protests are getting a shot in the arms through the Mahapanchayats being organized.

Thousands of farmers turned up for a meeting in Shamli district in western Uttar Pradesh on Friday amid a growing clamour against the Centre’s agri-marketing laws in the region.

People from Shamli and nearby districts started reaching Shamli’s Bhainswal village on tractors, two- and four-wheelers and on foot for a ‘kisan mahapanchayat’ being held there by the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD).

The people gathered there despite the Shamli administration denying permission for the meeting and imposing prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC.

Also Read: The unprecedented protests by farmers: Background, Unions, Loopholes in the laws & role of Charan Singh

This is the fourth major farmers’ meeting in western Uttar Pradesh after Muzaffarnagar, Mathura and Baghpat, besides some in Haryana, to support the ongoing stir against the farm laws.

Scores of regional ‘khap’ leaders, Bharatiya Kisan Union members and RLD vice president Jayant Chaudhary, among others, attended the event, even as security personnel were deployed in large numbers in the area.

RLD leader Chaudhary had on Thursday tweeted that there are “144 reasons why I will go to Shamli tomorrow”, attaching to it a news article on the denial of permission for the event by the Shamli district administration.

The RLD has already extended support to the ongoing peasants’ demonstrations at Delhi’s borders and in parts of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

The party’s farmer outreach programmes which began on Friday in Shamli are further scheduled to be held in Amroha, Aligarh, Bulandshahr, Mathura, Agra, Hathras, Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh and a couple of them in Rajasthan during the February month.

In a parallel development, Farmers in Agra have asked 9 MLAs & 2 MPs to support farmers or face ‘social boycott’ in their mahapanchayat.

Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait has said that the ‘Chakka Jam’ (blockading of roads as a form of protest) planned on February 6 will not take place in Delhi, but will happen in other parts of the National Capital Region and the rest of the country, including the southern states.

(PTI)

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Stray cows destroying crops, drastic fall in income & no jobs for youth while farming has regressed in western UP under the rule of Yogi Adityanath-voting for BJP is the greatest regret of the farmers

Pramod Ahlawat, a sugarcane farmer from Bhaisi village in Muzaffarnagar, said that the Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has stymied the growth of India’s sugar bowl region.

“The average income of farmers has not increased in four years,” he said. Ahlawat further added, “But the rate of pesticides and urea fertilizer has increased, and the weight of NPK fertilizers has fallen from 50 kg to 45 kg. Voting for the BJP government has been our generation’s greatest regret.”

Narender Singh, 51, hails from Shahjatpur village in Amroha, which he claimed now bears a no-entry sign for BJP members at its entrance.

“The BJP’s end is not something that will happen in the future. In western Uttar Pradesh, it has already happened,” Narender declared. He further added, “Farming as a profession has regressed so much in the region that we are here, protesting under open skies, away from our families.”

Also See: Overview of Farmers’ protests- role of Charan Singh

Stray Cows destroying crops

Narender believes that the state government’s agenda to discourage cow-slaughter has been a recipe for disaster. “Earlier, we would sell the cows for a sum of money,” he said. He added, “But after the slaughterhouses closed, these animals had nowhere to go. The government has not built enough cowsheds, as it promised, and so, the animals stray and destroy our crops.”

Baghpat-based farmer Rampal Singh, 72, shared Narender’s concerns. “We spend the entire day working on the fields and the entire nights warding off the cows,” he said. He pointed at a cluster of young men sitting a few metres away. Rampal added, “It is also the case with our sons; they do nothing but loiter. They should have gone to work, and the government promised two crore jobs, but what came out of it?”

Exasperated, he further added: “We took an axe to our feet by voting for the BJP.”

Sugarcane farmers from western Uttar Pradesh also pointed to the government’s lax enforcement of the Sugarcane Control Order of 1966, which directs sugar mills to pay farmers within 14 days of crushing.

“We have not been paid for our produce since a year,” claimed Viraj Tomar, 38, a sugarcane farmer from Baghpat and a member of the district panchayat. He further added, “The Malakpur mill in Baghpat last paid us on March 4, 2020. Over that, the Yogi government has not increased the rate of sugarcane in three years.”

Additionally, Viraj said, that their electricity bills under the Adityanath government have increased three to four times. “Every other government paid us better than Yogi, including the Samajwadi Party government that came before him,” he said.

The Sugarcane Control Order stipulates that mills which do not pay farmers within 14 days have to shell out interest over the remunerative price. Yogender Singh, a farmer from Amroha, told media that even though he was recently paid for his sugarcane crops after a year-long delay, the mills did not pay him interest.

He said: “I make some Rs 8,000 a month now through farming. In good times, that used to be the monthly pay of a labourer in my farm.”

(Sourced from NewsLaundry)

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End of BJP is near, say Jat-protesters at the Delhi borders- the rule of BJP is a deception creating rifts between Jats & Muslims

In the last few days of the farmers’ protests, the number of protesters at the Ghazipur has been higher than it has been ever since the beginning of the protests more than two months ago. Initially, the crowd had shrunk considerably after the violence on R-Day, which triggered a crackdown by the police. The number of protesting farmers and their supporters then swelled tremendously after the emotional breakdown of Rakesh Tikait.

On January 28, BKU leader- Tikait had an emotional outburst & told the media that he would not move. A teary-eyed and clearly exasperated Tikait told journalists that the protest against the new farm laws would not end & that either the laws would be repealed or he would give his life. The video blazed through western Uttar Pradesh and, within hours, farmers, mostly Jats, entered Ghazipur in a show of support.

“The story of the Bharatiya Janata Party is over,” said Upendra Tomar, 50, a farmer from Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat who is now protesting against the new farm-laws at the Ghazipur border. To emphasize the point, Upendra drew a cross in the air with his finger. “Everything has an end. This andolan is their end.”

Also Read: The unprecedented protests by farmers: Background, Unions, Loopholes in the laws & role of Charan Singh

The Ghazipur farmer-protest on Sunday, January 31, resembled an agitation and a thoroughfare. Apart from the farmers, families from Delhi, Noida, and Ghaziabad strolled around with their children, sporting badges in support of the farmers and eating food and sweets prepared by the protesters.

On January 31, the protesting Jats told media that they plan to vote out the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Assembly election next year. Near the stage, under the expressway, and outside the makeshift kitchens, they reiterated that the saffron party had engineered a rift between Jats and Muslims in western Uttar Pradesh, did not pay farmers for their produce, hiked electricity and fertilizer rates, and ushered in social discord and agrarian distress.

Also See: Overview of Farmers’ protests- role of Charan Singh

Taunts by BJP leaders and ministers and sections of the media, calling the farmers “anti-national”, “Khalistani” and “terrorists”, have further embittered the landowning community, which believes that it has more patriotic credentials than those in power.

“Ninety-five percent of people here voted for the BJP in the 2017 Assembly election,” said Prince, 24, a farmer from Moradabad.  He further added, “They are all miserable now. The BJP is not coming back. Their reign was a deception.”

BJP won because of the Muzaffarnagar riots

Jats at the Ghazipur protest told the media that they have seen through the BJP’s “divide and rule” politics in western Uttar Pradesh. The communal riots in Muzaffarnagar in 2013, which killed 62 people including 42 Muslims and 20 Hindus, are viewed by protesters as an event orchestrated by the saffron party for electoral gains.

(Sourced from NewsLaundry)

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Punishment of calling farmers as terrorists-Tweets of Kangana Ranaut vilifying farmers deleted by Twitter

On Thursday, Twitter removed some tweets by actor Kangana Ranaut for violating the company’s rules. The microblogging website said in a statement, “We have taken action on tweets that were in violation of the Twitter rules in line with our range of enforcement options.”

The deleted tweets were related to the farmers’ protests. The tweets by the actor were deleted in two hours. They reflected the effect of the backlash on the world stage after tweets by international celebrities. One of Ranaut’s tweets was a response to cricketer Rohit Sharma’s post about solidarity amid global criticism of the Indian government’s handling of the farmers’ protests.

Also Read: The unprecedented protests by farmers: Background, Unions, Loopholes in the laws & role of Charan Singh

The action comes two days after Ranaut, a vocal supporter of the Narendra Modi government, had responded to a tweet by Rihanna, by calling the protesting farmers “terrorists” and the pop singer a fool. She also conveyed a false and highly biased idea that the farmers were trying to divide India. Rihanna had shared a CNN article about the internet shutdown in Delhi to suppress the farmer-protests.

In response to the deleting of Kangana’s Tweets, Farmers’ leaders posted a video on the Facebook page of Kisan Ekta Morcha stating that it was a victory of the Farming community who were vilified by Kangana. The farmers’ leaders also added that they would make sure that the Twitter account of Kangana Ranaut gets banned permanently.

Also Read: Non issue News taking Central Stage- a Combination of Propaganda and Bandwagon effect

The actor also raged at a Twitter user who pulled out one of her old tweets apparently appreciating a song by Rihanna.

Ranaut’s account had been suspended briefly on Twitter in the past after she appeared to call for the beheading of producers of a TV show that she believed was offensive to Hindus.