Modi appeals to farmers as BJP charts out awareness campaign
Unions drop ‘rail roko’ plan | Tomar says awaiting response to proposal
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Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service
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New Delhi, December 11
A day after Union Ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Piyush Goyal argued in favour of Centre’s farm laws, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today shared the video of their press conference and urged the protesting farmers to listen to them carefully.
“My two Cabinet colleagues have discussed in detail about the new farm laws and the farmers’ demands. Must listen to this,” he said.
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Traffic blockades, sit-ins at more places
To intensify the stir, farm unions said they would block the Delhi-Jaipur highway among others and hold dharnas at district headquarters & state capitals.
With farmers planning to intensify their agitation, the BJP today decided to hold nationwide awareness drive, including chaupals, about the “benefits” of the laws.
Sharad Pawar, NCP Chief
‘Don’t test tolerance of farmers, stir may spread’
The farmer is the ‘annadata’ of the country. His tolerance should not be tested. The protest is restricted to Delhi border, but it can’t be ruled out that it might spread to other areas.
Farm unions said there was no “rail roko” in their renewed strategy to intensify protest. BKU (Rajewal) president Balbir Singh Rajewal said the decision would be taken after consulting all unions.
Meanwhile, the government said “Left and Maoist” elements were trying to spoil the atmosphere as a controversy erupted with surfacing of “posters of jailed extremists” at Tikri border. Tomar called it a “dangerous and diversionary tactic to divide the farmers”. “They can demand changes in the Acts…but what do these posters mean? The farmers should remain vigilant,” he said. Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said: “This is a sinister design to hijack the movement. There is enough evidence to show that ‘tukde tukde gang’ is threatening to take over the protest.”
BKU faction moves SC
UP-based BKU (Bhanu) moved the Supreme Court against the farm laws, alleging these will make them “vulnerable to corporate greed”. TNS
Kaushik Basu, Ex – Chief Economist, World Bank
‘New agricultural laws are flawed’
The new agri laws are flawed and will be detrimental to farmers.Our farm regulation needs change, but the laws will end up serving corporate interests.
Rajewal said the protest at Tikri was under the BKU-Ekta Ugrahan and it had nothing to do with “jathebandis” at Singhu. Tomar today again asked the farmers to return to the table, saying he was yet to hear from farmers regarding offer to amend the laws. The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination accused Tomar of “falsely claiming that unions have backtracked”.
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