Opposition parties extend support to Dec 8 Bharat Bandh call of protesting farmers
Dec 07, 2020
New Delhi [India], December 6 : The opposition parties, including People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Samajwadi Party (SP), All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), National Congress Party (NCP) and Congress party, have extended their support December 8 'Bharat Bandh' call by farmers who are protesting against the farm laws.
The leaders of the opposition parties issued a joint statement while extending solidarity with farmers call for a Bharat Bandh on December 8 demanding the withdrawal of "retrograde Agri-laws" and the Electricity Amendment Bill.
"These new Agri-Laws passed in the Parliament in a brazen anti-democratic manner preventing a structured discussion and voting, threaten India's food security, destroy Indian agriculture and our farmers, lay the basis for the abolishment of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and mortgage Indian agriculture and our markets to the caprices of multi-national agri-business corporates and domestic corporates," the statement reads.
"The central government must adhere to the democratic process and norms and meet the legitimate demands of our Kisan-Annadatas," it added.
The statement released from CPI (M) office is signed by Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi, DMK chief M K Stalin, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, PAGD chairman Farooq Abdullah, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, CPI (M) General Secretary, Sitaram Yechury, CPI General Secretary D Raja, CPI (ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, AIFB General Secretary Debartata Biswas and RSP General Secretary Manoj Bhattacharya.
Meanwhile, K. Chandrashekar Rao-led Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena have also supported the 'Bharat Bandh' called by farmers on December 8.
Sukhbir Singh Badal led Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which left the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to protest against farm laws, has also announced to lend its support to Bharat Bandh.
The Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP), an ally of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Rajasthan has also extended its support to the call for 'Bharat Bandh by farmers' on December 8. Demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi withdraw the farm laws, party chief Hanuman Beniwal on Sunday announced that the party will take a decision on whether or not to stay in National Democratic Alliance (NDA) after December 8.
A team of actor Kamal Haasan-led political party Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) on Sunday joined the agitating farmers at Singhu border in New Delhi.
It may be noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 30 addressing an event at Varanasi said Opposition is "using tricks to oppose historic agriculture reforms laws and farmers are being misled". He also asserted that his government's new agricultural reforms have empowered the farmers and given them new options and legal protection. He said that the benefits of these new laws will be experienced in the coming days.
The farmers have been protesting on different borders of the national capital since November 26.
After the fifth round of talks remained inconclusive with farmers' leaders, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has called another meeting on December 9.
Thousands of farmers are protesting against the three newly enacted farm laws--Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
