Farmers' Protest LIVE Updates: Dr Ajit Nawale, secretary of the Maharashtra unit of All India Kisan Sabha, will lead the farmers' march from Nasik to Delhi
Protesting farmers at the Delhi-Haryana border. AP
The Indian Express reported that RLP chief Hanuman Beniwal has resigned from three Lok Sabha committes, in solidarity with the protesting farmers. The RLP is the BJP's ally in the NDA.
"The Nagaur MP says he will march towards Delhi 'with 2 lakh' people on 26 December," the report said.
The Indian Express reported that RLP chief Hanuman Beniwal has resigned from three Lok Sabha committes, in solidarity with the protesting farmers. The RLP is the BJP's ally in the NDA.
"The Nagaur MP says he will march towards Delhi 'with 2 lakh' people on 26 December," the report said.
A day after the Maharashtra-based All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee extended support to the farmers protesting at Delhi's borders, reports said that the farmers from the state will travel to Delhi to join the protests. They will first gather at Nasik on 20 December, Newsclick reported.
"From there, they will begin marching on 21 December led by Dr Ajit Nawale, secretary of the Maharashtra unit of All India Kisan Sabha. The farmers will be joined by AIKS national president Ashok Dhawale at the borders of the capital, where the protesting farmers have been camping," the report said.
"The farmers’ march from Nasik to Mumbai had brought down the arrogance of then Bharatiya Janata Party government in Maharashtra. Now, its time for the Modi government. No other government in the history of India has fired tear gases on farmers and drenched them in the middle of winter. But these tricks have failed and farmers are still on the outskirts of Delhi," the report quoted Dhawale as saying.
The Times of India reported that protesting farmers at Delhi's Ghazipur border are using solar panels "to charge their phones and tractor batteries".
"After using washing machines and chappati maker machines at the Singhu border, farmers at the Ghazipur border are now making arrangements for themselves," the report said.
Taking to Twitter on Saturday, the Delhi Traffic Police alerted commuters about the closure of certain roads and suggested them to take alternative routes. It said the Ghazipur border is closed for traffic coming from Noida and Ghaziabad due to the ongoing protest.
However, those travelling to Delhi can take alternative routes via Anad Vihar, DND, Apsara and Bhopra borders, it said.
"Tikri, Dhansa Borders are closed for any Traffic Movement. Jhatikara Borders is open only for two wheelers and pedestrian movement," it said in a tweet.
In a tweet, BSP president Mayawati said, "The central government should adopt a sympathetic approach, and not be stubborn, while dealing with the protesting farmers and accept their demands."
The BSP demands that the three new farm laws should be withdrawn, she added.
केन्द्र की सरकार को, हाल ही में देश में लागू तीन नए कृषि कानूनों को लेकर आन्दोलित किसानों के साथ हठधर्मी वाला नहीं बल्कि उनके साथ सहानुभूतिपूर्ण रवैया अपनाकर उनकी माँगों को स्वीकार करके, उक्त तीनों कानूनों को तत्काल वापस ले लेना चाहिए, बीएसपी की यह माँग।
— Mayawati (@Mayawati) December 19, 2020
Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Friday junked Prime Minister Narendra Modi's claim of implementing recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission on the MSP for crops, saying farmers are committing suicide as they are not getting the remunerative price of their produce.
"Till today, cultivators of Bundelkhand in Uttar Pradesh are not getting the minimum support price (MSP) of pulses and are committing suicide," he said in a message to the PTI.
The claim of the implementation of the commission report is totally false, he said.
The Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party hit out at the BJP on Saturday over the farmers' protest against the agri-marketing laws.
SP president Akhilesh Yadav called the contentious laws a clamp for the farmers.
"The BJP didn't allow the farmers to have the slightest idea of the farm laws before making them. Now, they are pretending to make them understand the benefits of the legislations by holding farmers convention," Yadav said.
"The truth is the farmers will really benefit only after the implementation of the Swaminathan report," Yadav said. "Only then, the farmers'' income will double."
In a tweet on Saturday, BSP president Mayawati said: "The central government should adopt a sympathetic approach, and not be stubborn, while dealing with the protesting farmers and accept their demands.
"The BSP demands that the three new farm laws should be withdrawn," she added.
PTI
Former Union minister and senior BJP leader Birender Singh has extended his support to the ongoing farmers' agitation against the three agriculture-marketing laws passed by the Centre.
Singh, whose son Brijendra is a sitting BJP MP, said it was his moral responsibility to stand with the farmers who he said are "worried" as they fear the new legislations will have an "impact" on their economic condition.
"Whatever I have achieved in politics, would not have been possible had I not been the grandson of Sir Chhotu Ram," Singh said on Friday.
"Therefore, it is my moral responsibility to stand with the farmers in their fight today and, therefore, I have decided to support this (farmers') fight," said Singh, a prominent Jat leader in Haryana.
As farmer protests against new farm laws entered the 24th day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said reforms brought by his government six months ago have started benefiting farmers.
Speaking at an Assocham convention, Modi highlighted reforms spanning from the manufacturing sector to labour to say India has during the last six years emerged as the world's preferred destination for investment.
"Agriculture reforms initiated six months back have started benefitting farmers," he said without elaborating.
Amid the deadlock between the Centre and the protesting farmers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged people to read and share widely an e-booklet issued by the government highlighting how the recent agro-reforms help farmers.
The government has issued an e-booklet in English and Hindi highlighting the success stories of farmers who have benefited from the reforms enacted in September.
Farmers' Protest LATEST Updates: A day after the Maharashtra-based All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee extended support to the farmers protesting at Delhi's borders, reports said that the farmers from the state will travel to Delhi to join the protests. They will first gather at Nasik on 20 December, Newsclick reported.
"From there, they will begin marching on 21 December led by Dr Ajit Nawale, secretary of the Maharashtra unit of All India Kisan Sabha. The farmers will be joined by AIKS national president Ashok Dhawale at the borders of the capital, where the protesting farmers have been camping," the report said.
"The farmers’ march from Nasik to Mumbai had brought down the arrogance of then Bharatiya Janata Party government in Maharashtra. Now, its time for the Modi government. No other government in the history of India has fired tear gases on farmers and drenched them in the middle of winter. But these tricks have failed and farmers are still on the outskirts of Delhi," the report quoted Dhawale as saying.
The Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party hit out at the BJP on Saturday over the farmers' protest. SP leader and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav called the laws a clamp for the farmers.
Former Union minister and senior BJP leader Birender Singh has extended his support to the ongoing farmers' agitation against the three agriculture-marketing laws passed by the Centre.
Speaking at an Assocham convention, Modi highlighted reforms spanning from the manufacturing sector to labour to say India has during the last six years emerged as the world's preferred destination for investment.
Braving the harsh cold of Delhi, thousands of farmers protesting against the three recent agri laws remained steadfast in their demands of repealing the legislations as their agitation entered its fourth week.
The AIKS, that is spearheading the 'Dilli Chalo' agitation against the three farm laws, asserted that no farmer organisation approached the court in the first place and asked for its intervention in the matter.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday addressed farmers in Madhya Pradesh via video conference in a bid to generate positive opinion towards the new agricultural laws, which has seen farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh protesting along Delhi's borders since 26 November.
In his address, the prime minister highlighted the benefits of the new reforms and the pro-farmer actions taken by his government while also accusing the Opposition parties of misleading the famers over the issue of Minimum Support Price (MSP) and Ariculture Produce Market Committes (APMCs).
Hundreds of farmers are camping at several Delhi border points to press for the repeal of the Centre's new farm laws.
Here are some main points of the prime minister's speech:
Agri laws long overdue
In his speech, Modi said the new agricultural laws brought by the Centre have not come overnight, but were long overdue. He insisted that the existing regime of support price for farm produce will continue.
Political parties, agriculture experts and progressive farmers demanded such agri reforms for long, he said and attacked the Opposition for misleading cultivators on the issue of MSP (minimum support price) and APMCs.
He also urged political parties to "keep all the credit for their old election manifestos" which had reportedly promised agriculture sector reforms and asked them to stop misguiding the farmers over the new farm laws.
"If they want to take credit for these farm laws, they should do so, but they should stop misleading farmers on theissue by spreading lies," he said.
Opposition parites sat over Swaminathan Commission report: Modi
The prime minister also accused the Opposition parties of lying to farmers, and asked why they didn't implement the Swaminathan Commission report.
"Opposition parties, when in power, sat over the Swaminathan committee report for years, but the BJP-ledgovernment implemented its recommendations in the interest of farmers," the prime minister said.
"If we'd to remove MSP, why would we implement Swaminathan Commission report? Our govt is serious about the MSP, that's why we declare it before sowing season every year. This makes it easy for farmers to make calculations," said Narendra Modi on Friday.
अगर हमें MSP हटानी ही होती तो स्वामीनाथन कमेटी की रिपोर्ट ला
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