Farmers Movement Archive

RLP threatens to break ties with NDA over farm laws

JAIPUR: The Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP), an ally of the Centre’s NDA government, has stepped up pressure on home minister Amit Shah to hear out the protesting farmers surrounding Delhi and withdraw the Union farm laws immediately. In a first direct threat, Lok Sabha MP from Nagaur Hanuman Beniwal on Monday said if the controversial farm laws were not repealed, the RLP would have to reconsider its support to the NDA government. Beniwal spoke in favour of the protesting farmers last week, too, but he had not threatened to withdraw support to NDA until now. The RLP has one MP and three MLAs in Rajasthan. “If a prompt decision is not taken in the matter, the RLP, which is an ally of the NDA, will have to reconsider whether to continue with the coalition, because farmers and soldiers are RLP’s strength,” Beniwal, who is also the RLP convener, wrote to Union home minister Shah on Monday. In the morning, Olympic boxer Vijender Singh tweeted urging Beniwal to support the protesting farmers. By afternoon, the Nagaur MP sent out a series of tweets making his stand clear in the matter. “Drawing your attention to the farmers’ protest against the three agriculture-related bills introduced by the Centre recently, it is requested that you take immediate action to withdraw the bills because it does not befit the government that the country’s ‘annadata’ (food giver) amid severe cold and corona,” Beniwal wrote to Shah and posted the letter on twitter. The MP further wrote that the Centre should give space to farmers for talks as per their intent and implement all recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission. The RLP distancing itself with NDA may not impact the central government, but could open opportunities for the Congress in Rajasthan where local BJP leaders are publicly talking of midterm assembly elections within six months citing the rift between chief minister Ashok Gehlot and former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot. Prior to RLP-BJP alliance ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Gehlot offered ministerial post to Beniwal when the latter was an MLA. The assembly seat vacated by Beniwal upon his election as Nagaur MP is now represented by his younger brother Narayan Beniwal as the RLP MLA. The BJP favoured the RLP convenor over former chief minister Vasundhara Raje in leaving the Lok Sabha seat for him in 2019. Beniwal had left BJP following his differences with Raje.

The Times of India

2020-12-01

Jaipur