Farmers Movement Archive

Haryana: Online petitions demand justice for farmers

AMBALA: While thousands of farmers continue to camp in and around New Delhi to protest against the three agricultural laws of the Centre, internet users (netizens) from all over the world have taken to an online platform, Change.org to express their support for the nation’s annadaata (food producers). Over the last two days, over 4,47,776 people have signed petitions on Change.org demanding justice for farmers. Lakhs of people have signed these petitions over the last three days. A large number of petitions have been started on the issue, the biggest among them by Indian nationals in the United Kingdom (UK), Canada, and United States (US). In fact, rapid digital activism by the Punjabi diaspora, especially the Sikh community in Canada, UK, and US has been instrumental in drumming up support for protesting farmers. Canadian prime ,inister Justin Trudeau, his defence minister Harjit Sajjan, and other lawmakers from Canada as well as the UK have spoken out in support of Indian farmers gathered to protest in Delhi. The biggest petition was started by the American Sikh Council and has been signed by over 94,000 people over the last three days. A petition by Prabhjot Bath, a resident of the UK, has received over 83,000 signatures. Another rapidly growing petition, titled ‘Justice for farmers of India’, was started by Canada-based Gina Takhar on Saturday, November 28. Indian diaspora are raising concerns that the three new farm laws are expected to change the way farm produce is procured, stored and sold in India by allowing private corporations to become directly involved in the farm economy like never before in the history of country. Some say this might leave smaller farmers at the mercy of powerful corporations who might use their purchasing, warehousing, and stock holding power to dictate terms, resulting in a small oligarchy controlling India’s food production and distribution. Most petitions are asking for the withdrawal of the three farm laws introduced by the government. However, some are raising other demands as well. Like give farmers a “guaranteed Minimum Support Price” for their produce, declare the usage of “water cannons” by police during north India’s harsh winters as illegal and urging the government to “drop charges” against Navdeep Singh (a farmer’s son who climbed atop a water cannon being used by the police on protestors and turned it off), Another petition asks the Indian media to either report neutrally or announce their political bias on air.

The Times of India

2020-12-04

Chandigarh