Farmers Movement Archive

‘PM Modi must listen to our Mann Ki Baat’

Farmers protesting at Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders banged utensils during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s monthly ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio show on Sunday. Last week, several farmer leaders had appealed to all citizens to bang utensils during the show to mark their protest against the three controversial farm laws. The protesters said they are using the same formula that was used by PM Modi during the pandemic to felicitate frontline workers. “We have come here not to hear PM Modi but to make him listen to us. He should listen to farmers’ maan ki baat . It has been over one month since we started protesting. He is the Prime Minister, he should address our issues,” said a protester from Gurdaspur, Amarpal Singh. “Why are they [government] imposing the laws that will destroy farmers? We are hopeful that the meeting with the government on December 29 will bring some positive news. But we won’t be leaving the site until the farm laws are repealed and an Act is introduced for MSP,” said Kuljeet Singh, a farmer from Ropar. “If the laws are not repealed then we will not allow this anti-farmer government to function. We will keep protesting at every level to make PM Modi listen to us. Banging utensils is just a symbolic protest,” said Ramandeep Singh, a farmer from Punjab. ‘I am a tea seller too’ The protesters was seen banging pans, plates, steel glass and tea kettles. Some of them shouted slogans against the Modi-led government. Harmeet Pal, a farmer from Patiala, said: “Modi used to sell tea before he became the PM. I am banging a tea kettle with the hope that PM Modi will listen to us as I am also a chaiwala .”

The Hindu

2020-12-28

NEW DELHI