CHENNAI: DMK president MK Stalin on Friday urged the Centre to immediately repeal the three new farm laws to ensure the welfare of farmers in the country. He was speaking at a hunger strike in Chennai staged by Opposition leaders, MPs and MLAs expressing solidarity with farmers protesting at Delhi.
“The three farm laws, labour laws, electricity laws and environment impact assessment draft are all anti-people and pro-corporate. Lakhs of farmers from the Northern States have been staging protests for the last 23 days against these laws. The Centre should either hold talks with farmers or conduct debates over the laws in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to protect democracy,” Stalin said.
He also questioned the ‘haste’ in enacting the laws during the pandemic and also hit out at the Centre for its labour reforms and the draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) among others. “The Union government is not standing by the people, but corporates. The Centre is offering a slew of sops to big private firms. Today, the entire country is fuming against the three farm laws. Braving harsh winter, farmers are staying put in Delhi opposing the laws,” he added.
The Union government should have consulted stakeholders, including farmers, before enacting the laws or should have held discussions in Parliament in this regard. “The Centre did not do any of these. Why is it in such a haste? To protect whom has the Union government brought these laws?” Stalin asked.
DMK women’s wing secretary Kanimozhi, MDMDK general secretary Vaiko, former TNCC president KV Thangkabalu and leaders from CPI, CPI (M) and VCK also participated in the protest. A two-minute silence was also observed.
Stalin booked for staging hunger strike
Chennai: DMK president M K Stalin and other Opposition leaders were booked on Friday for organising a day-long hunger strike in support of farmers protesting in Delhi. The Nungambakkam police said that a case has been registered under Sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 188 (disobedience to order), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection) of the Indian Penal Code, and under a Section of the Madras City Police Act.