Farmers Movement Archive

Delhi CM asks Centre to listen to farmers, end their struggle

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visited the Singhu border on Sunday and participated in the ‘Safar-e-Shahadat’ Kirtan Darbaar. The event was organised by the Punjabi Academy of the Delhi government at the Guru Tegh Bahadur Memorial in the memory of the martyrdom of four Sahibzaade and Mata Gujri Kaur ji. Addressing the protesters, Mr. Kejriwal said over 40 people had so far died in the protest, which is a “fight for their survival”. The Centre should repeal the farm laws immediately, guarantee the Minimum Support Price system and end the struggle of the farmers, he added. “All of us are here today to worship Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s sahibzaade and Mata Gujri Kaur ji . I believe that we have never witnessed this level of martyrdom in the world. Our farmers from across the nation have gathered here at the Delhi border today and they are in distress,” he said. “Today, through this platform and at such a sacred place, I want to appeal to the Centre with folded hands to repeal the farm laws. These are our people. These are the people of our nation, listen to them, and end their struggle here. How many lives will you take?” he asked. Farmers, who he alleged had been betrayed for the last 70 years by “all leaders and political parties”, are being called terrorists and anti-national. “Before elections, political parties used to promise that they would waive farmers’ loans and give employment to farmers’ children but neither ever happened,” he added. The Delhi Chief Minister said that through the three farm laws, an attempt was being made to “take farming away from farmers” and hand it over to “big corporates”. ‘Who will benefit?’ “As for the benefits of these farm laws as counted by these leaders, they say that the land will not be taken away from the farmers. Is this a benefit? The MSP and the mandis of the farmers will not be revoked, is this a benefit? Why have you brought the Acts then? Instead of telling the benefits they are justifying that these laws will not harm the farmers. Who will benefit then if not farmers?” he asked. “The only benefit they told us is that the farmers will be able to sell their produce anywhere in the country outside of the mandis. If a crop is being sold at Rs. 800 per quintal in Bihar, where there are no mandis and the MSP is Rs. 1,850/quintal, where will farmers from Bihar and U.P. go to sell their produce for more than Rs. 1,850? This is not a benefit to the farmers but to the big companies and the rich,” he said.

The Hindu

2020-12-28

New Delhi