HP Congress chief leads tractor march to protest against farm bills

Item

Title

HP Congress chief leads tractor march to protest against farm bills

Description

The Kangra District Congress Committee (DCC) on Wednesday held a protest against the new farm bills enacted by the Centre. Led by state Congress chief Kuldeep Singh Rathore, protesters took out a march on tractors and foot from Industrial Training Institute to the sub-divisional magistrate’s office.Kangra DCC president Ajay Mahajan, former minister Sudhir Sharma, former MP Chaudhary Chandra Kumar, Kangra MLA Pawan Kajal, former MLAs Sanjay Ratna, Jagjivan Pal, Rajvindra Goma, Kishori Lal, District Congress treasurer Karn Pathania and Dharamshala mayor Devendra Jaggi participated in the demonstration.Addressing the protesters, Rathore termed the bills passed by the Centre as ‘anti-farmer’.He alleged that the new laws were meant to benefit the corporate.“The state government is also implementing anti-people decisions on the lines of the Centre,” said Rathore adding that people of will give a befitting reply to the BJP in the elections.He said that in 2022, Congress would free the state from BJP’s misrule.Speaking on the occasion, Ajay Mahajan said that the Centre has brought ‘black laws’ against farmers.He said that anger was brewing up against the Centre among the farmer community. He also raked up the Hathras incident to hit at the central government.All India Congress Committee secretary Sudhir Sharma said that farmers will be hit adversely hit by the new farm laws.“It is feared that this may eventually lead to the end of the minimum support price (MSP)-based procurement system and lead to increased exploitation by private companies,” he said. Sharma said that its negative results were already visible as the prices of maize and rice have fallen after the laws came into effect.State Congress general secretary Kewal Singh Pathania said that the bills were passed in haste that too amid the Covid-19 pandemic and were intended to benefit the corporate houses.

Publisher

Hindustan Times

Date

07-10-2020

Coverage

City