CHANDIGARH: Over 100 British Members of Parliament across party lines have written a letter to PM Boris Johnson, requesting him to address the issue of farmers' agitation in India with PM Narendra Modi.
The letter was written by Tan Deshi, a member of parliament from Slough to Johnson on January 5, a copy of which was accessed by The New Indian Express.
It read: "Many constituents, especially those emanating from Punjab and other parts of India, were horrified to see footage of water cannon, tear gas and brute force being used against hundreds of thousands of peacefully protesting farmers. The issue has so galvanised the Indian diaspora community, especially those of Punjabi and Sikh background, and others who have land or links to farming in India, that tens of thousands engaged in global protests, including in towns and cities across UK.’’
"We believe that your January India visit has now been cancelled but you intend to meet your Indian counterpart soon. Given the urgency of this matter, could you please confirm that you will definitely convey to the Indian Prime Minister the heartfelt anxieties of our constituents our hopes for a speedy resolution to the current deadlock and also for the democratic human right of citizens to peaceful protest? We look forward to your timely response so that we can inform our constituents accordingly,’’ it stated.
The letter goes on to add that another cross-party letter addressing the concern was also forwarded to the foreign secretary Dominic Raab to ensure that he raised the matter with his counterpart, EAM S Jaishankar.
A move, Dominic has confirmed, but he did not address the issue with PM Modi during his December meeting.