Farmers Movement Archive

Farm laws being opposed across the country, should be withdrawn: Sachin Pilot

The resolution has also sought compensation for families of the farmers who have died during the protests which started in November last year.Addressing the Mahapanchayat, Pilot said, “While making these laws none of the state governments or farmers’ organisations were consulted. These laws were passed in Parliament in haste and imposed on the country. The government of India claims these farm laws are in the interest of the farmers but they are being opposed across the country.”“The farmers are protesting in a Gandhian manner but the way barricades have been put up, and electricity and water supply discontinued, it is unjustified,” Pilot said, adding that Congress president Sonia Gandhi and leader Rahul Gandhi have supported the farmers throughout the agitation.The Mahapanchayat, held under the banner of Kisan Mahapanchayat, submitted a memorandum to district collector demanding a repeal of the laws. “We will not step back, till these demands are met,” Pilot said.Friday’s gathering was the second Kisan Mahapanchayat to be held in Dausa in the past four days. Smaller Kisan Panchayats have been held in several parts of Rajasthan, including in the Jat dominated Shekhawati belt of the state.Condemning the violence that erupted during the tractor parade, Pilot said, “The opposition parties are supporting the farmers. The issue is not of a party or leader but of the farmers.” On Saturday, the Congress leader will address a Mahapanchayat in Bharatpur, Chaksu and Bayana, each.Targeting the Congress for allegedly misleading the farmers, Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Mukesh Pareek said, “Congress itself made such promises in the manifesto. The GoI is continuously holding talks with the farmers and is committed to resolve it on a positive note.”Ram Lal Jat, head of Kisan Mahapanchayat, Rajasthan, has appealed the farmers in the state to support Sanyukt Kisan Morcha’s call for a Chakka Jam (traffic blockade) on February 6.Thousands of farmers have been camping at Delhi’s borders since November last year, seeking a repeal of the three farm laws, which they say will erode their bargaining power, weaken a system of assured prices, and leave them vulnerable to exploitation by big agri businesses.The government has maintained that the laws aim to ease restrictions on farm trade by setting up free markets, allow traders to stockpile large stocks of food for future sales and lay down a framework for contract farming.

Hindustan Times

05-02-2021

Jaipur