Kejriwal Meets Protesting Farmers, Demands Repeal of Farm Laws
The entire farm agitation is on the verge of collapse and it appears that the Modi government will impose its farm laws on farmers.
By Rakesh Raman
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal met a group of farmers who have been protesting against the farm laws introduced by the government of Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi.
In his meeting with the farmers from Uttar Pradesh (UP) on Sunday (February 21) in Delhi Assembly, Kejriwal urged the Modi government to withdraw the laws. He said that it is not the fight of the farmers alone, but it is a fight of every citizen of India as the farm laws will affect all the people in the country.
“उत्तर प्रदेश के किसान नेताओं के साथ आज बैठक कर कृषि से जुड़े तीनों काले कानूनों पर विस्तार से चर्चा की। किसान नेताओं ने इन कानूनों से पूरे देश को होने वाले नुकसान को विस्तार से समझाया। ये लड़ाई सिर्फ़ किसानों की नहीं बल्कि देश के हर आम आदमी की है।” Kejriwal said in his tweet.
उत्तर प्रदेश के किसान नेताओं के साथ आज बैठक कर कृषि से जुड़े तीनों काले कानूनों पर विस्तार से चर्चा की। किसान नेताओं ने इन कानूनों से पूरे देश को होने वाले नुकसान को विस्तार से समझाया।
ये लड़ाई सिर्फ़ किसानों की नहीं बल्कि देश के हर आम आदमी की है। pic.twitter.com/DF6l1EUC2L
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 21, 2021
Although the ongoing agitation is being led by Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (Joint Farmers Front) – an umbrella organization of over 40 Indian farm unions – Kejriwal met only a few farmers from UP.
The leaders of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha did not want to meet Kejriwal, as they oppose any political participation in their civil struggle.
Indian farmers – mainly from Punjab – have been protesting on the outskirts of Delhi since November 27 last year against the new farm laws introduced by the Modi government. While farmers expect the government to repeal the contentious laws, the government has refused to accept farmers’ demands.
Earlier, there was a huge participation of farmers in the peaceful agitation. But after 3 months of their demonstrations around Delhi, many farmers are going back to their homes, as the Modi government has unleashed brutal state power to crush the agitation.
While the Modi government is implicating farmers and their supporters in false cases and sending even protesting women and senior citizens to jails, the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha has failed to protect the protesters from government oppression.
As a result, the entire farm agitation is on the verge of collapse and it appears that the Modi government will impose its farm laws on farmers.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of a humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society. He also runs F A C T (Farm And Crop Times) news magazine on global farming and agricultural affairs.
