NEW DELHI: As the farmer agitation intensified with a call for nationwide strike on December 8, the opposition on Friday rallied behind them announcing to join in their protest to put pressure on the Centre for repealing the farm laws.
Lending support to farmers’ demands, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee spoke to farmers protesting at the outskirts of the national capital.
In Patna, Bihar’s Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav announced to sit on dharna at Gandhi Maidan on Saturday in solidarity with the farmers.
Earlier, the chief ministers of four Congress-ruled states had sought a meeting with President Ram Nath Kovind on the matter but it was turned down.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which exited from the NDA over farm laws, is now on a mission to get all the regional parties on board on the farmers issue so that they can jointly put pressure on the Centre.
Joining the political forces backing ongoing farmers’ protest, Trinamool Congress’s Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien met agitating farmers.
The Bengal CM spoke to four leaders of farmers’ organisations expressing her support. She has also announced massive statewide protest demanding withdrawal of the Farm Bills.
“We have called a meeting of the All India Trinamool Congress. We will discuss how the essential commodities Act is impacting common people and resulting in skyrocketing prices. The central government must withdraw this anti-people law,’’ she tweeted.
On appointment with Kovind, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that the chief ministers of Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Puducherry had sought an audience, but the president, perhaps due to some compulsions, could not give us time.
“The Centre must withdraw the farm laws and apologise for its misbehaviour with farmers,” he tweeted.
In a move to garner support for farmers, senior SAD leader Prem Singh Chandumajra said he would be meeting Mamata, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and former Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav in next two days.
“I will try to convince them that all the regional parties across the country should come together and demand from the government to withdraw the three central laws and accept the demands of the farmers,”’ he said.
In Bihar, Tejashwi accused Modi of not being concerned to speak to the farmers agitating against the new farm laws.
“Shouldn’t he talk to the farmers? But the PM is least bothered for it. It shows his callousness towards the farmers.”
Inputs from Chandigarh, Kolkata and Patna
Guild slams adverse reportage
The Editors Guild of India expressed its concern on the way some sections of the media were discrediting the farmers’ protests. It said this went against the tenets of ‘responsible and ethical journalism’.
“The Guild is concerned about the coverage of the farmers’ protests, wherein certain sections of the media have been labelling them as ‘Khalistans’, ‘anti-nationals’, and other such terms to deligitimise the protests...,” it said.
SCBA CHIEF lends support to farmers
Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Dushyant Dave announced his support for farmers called the new agriculture laws as anti- farmers.
“Support for #FarmerProtest is growing. After Delhi Bar Council, now President of Supreme Court Bar Association Dushyant Dave declared full support for farmers & called these farm Laws as anti- farmers & anti-Lawyers. Offered free legal services to farmers,” senior advocate HS Phoolka tweeted.
DSGMC Seeks Apology from Kangana
Actor Kangana Ranaut’s trouble mounted as several Punjab artistes and Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) came out against her.
Ranaut was served a legal notice by the DSGMC which sought an unconditional apology from her. DSGMC said Ranaut’s tweets tried to portray farmers protest as “anti-national” and were derogatory against the aged mother of a farmer.
Artistes including Mika Singh, Ammy Virk have slammed the actor.