Congress’s DK Shivakumar on Tuesday expressed solidarity with protesting farmers and announced that his party will be holding a “big protest” on Wednesday to support the farmers’ demands.
He added that the top court must order a complete roll-back of the three contentious agricultural laws, which have been stayed for the time being. “We stand by farmers of this country. The Supreme Court has stayed the laws. They shouldn't stay but scrap it. This is what Congress demands. The farmers' demand is justified. On behalf of the Congress party, we are holding a big protest tomorrow to support them,” he told news agency ANI.
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Former party president Rahul Gandhi released a booklet on 'pitfalls' of the three farm laws passed by the central government in the last monsoon session of Parliament.
"A majority of farm labourers are SC-ST and OBC and these laws also affect them. The booklet will provide detailed information on how these laws will affect the farmers and at the same time how it will impact government purchase and thus the public distribution system too," a leader involved in the process of finalising the booklets told ANI.
Meanwhile, BJP national president JP Nadda accused Gandhi and the Congress party of misleading farmers. “When will Congress stop provoking and misleading farmers of India? Why did UPA stall the Swaminathan Commission report for years and did not increase the MSP? Why did farmers remain poor for decades under Congress Governments? Does he feel sympathy for farmers only in opposition?,” he wrote on Twitter.
He said that Gandhi has been spreading lies that all APMC Mandis will be closed down. “But wasn’t action against the APMC Act a part of Congress manifesto? Would that not have closed down mandis?,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}He said that Gandhi has been spreading lies that all APMC Mandis will be closed down. “But wasn’t action against the APMC Act a part of Congress manifesto? Would that not have closed down mandis?,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Farmers have been protesting at the different borders of the national capital since November last year, against the three 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—enacted in September.