Scaling up their protest a day after announcing their support for the nationwide Bharat Bandh called by farmers’ organisations, opposition parties are now planning to meet President Ram Nath Kovind and urge him to direct the government to repeal the three farm bills. Leaders of the 11 parties will be meeting President Kovind on Wednesday.
Responding to the opposition statement, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday said the UPA government had done exactly what the Modi government is doing today for reforming the existing agricultural marketing devices and the parties are protesting merely to justify their existence.
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CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury dismissed Mr. Prasad’s comments as routine “BJP propaganda”.
“What are they trying to prove by circulating then agricultural minister Sharad Pawar’s letter to the then Delhi Chief Minister? Mr Pawar was only following the Constitutional norm of consultations, which the BJP violates with impunity,” he said.
The Congress, Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, AAP, DMK, CPI (M) and CPI among others have announced support to the farmers’ agitation. While the TMC did not sign the opposition joint statement, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee has reached out to the farmers. On Friday, TMC Rajya Sabha leader Derek O' Brien visited the Singhu border and met the protesing farmers. Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati who has not spoken on the agitation so far, also announced her support on Monday morning.
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Five legislators of the BJP’s ally in Haryana, the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), have also come out in support of the agitation, seeking early resolution of the stand-off and demanding that the three farm laws be withdrawn.
