Farmers Movement Archive

Gujarat: Congress members protest farm bills

GANDHINAGAR: Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda, leader of opposition Paresh Dhanani and some 100 party workers were detained in Gandhinagar on Monday after they staged a protest against the farm bills passed in Parliament. They were all released shortly afterwards. A delegation of Congress leaders also met Governor Acharya Devvrat and registered the party’s protest against the amendments to farm laws. Chavda, Dhanani, Congress MLAs Baldevji Thakor and C J Chavda and other party workers gathered at the Ambedkar statue near the assembly complex and raised slogans against the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Gujarat. They said the farm bills recently passed in Parliament were “anti-farmer and will destroy APMCs”. Police later detained Amit Chavda, Paresh Dhanani, Baldevhi Thakor and C J Chavda, besides other party workers. Some 100 protesters were detained as soon as they started marching towards Raj Bhavan, deputy superintendent of police, M K Rana said. “As Congress workers had not taken permission for the rally, we detained them,” Gandhinagar SP Mayur Chavda said. Speaking to reporters before he was detained, Amit Chavda said, “Not only Congress workers, farmers are also demonstrating across the country against these farm bills, which will destroy APMCs and give wide powers to corporates in deciding prices of agricultural produce. The government will now escape from giving MSP to farmers through these bills.” Dhanani alleged that the central government wants to hand over the agriculture sector to select companies. “Where will small farmers go to sell their produce in the absence of APMCs? The BJP government is anti-farmer and these bills will turn farmers into farm labourers,” he said. President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday gave his assent to the three contentious farm bills which have triggered protests by farmers, especially in Punjab and Haryana.

The Times of India

2020-09-29

Ahmedabad