Farmers Movement Archive

Rohtak farmers, trade unions want ordinances recalled

Rohtak: Members of trade unions, farmers and some working employees’ organisations on Sunday took out a protest rally in Rohtak, seeking withdrawal of the three ordinances related to agriculture marketing passed by the Union government. Dubbing those as anti-farmer, the members of various organisations reached the mini-secretariat on their tractors raising slogans against the government and later courted their arrest. In a press release, Kisan Sabha general secretary Sumit Singh said on August 9, 1942, Indians had raised ‘Quit India’ slogan against the British rulers, and once again on this day, the farmers and labourers have raised slogans against the corporate houses to save the peasantry class from the clutches of high and mighty. “The government is enacting anti-farmer and anti-labour laws to promote corporate culture in the country. With the implementation of these three ordinances, the agriculture will be snatched from farmers’ hands and reach the hands of corporates,” he alleged. Meanwhile, BJP state president Om Prakash Dhankhar, who was in Rohtak on the day, said the three ordinances would turn around the fortunes of farmers and they would be able to sell their produce at much higher prices. He said the protesters are being misled by opposition parties for their vested interests, though in reality, the ordinances are in their favour.

The Times of India

2020-08-10

Chandigarh