Political and civic organisations on November 28, 2020 voiced their support with the nationwide farmers protest against the new agriculture laws.
Leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Nationalist Congress Party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Communist Party of India -Marxist Leninist and other left organisations, in a joint statement, said that the Nirankari ground allotted to farmers by the central government is too small to accommodate the tens of thousands of protesters approaching Delhi.
“We the undersigned demand that a larger ground like Ram Lila Maidan or similar must be allotted for this peaceful protest and all necessary arrangements must be made for their stay and food,” they said.
Demanding that the government adhere to the democratic process and norms and address the concerns of the protesting farmers, leaders reiterated their opposition to the new agriculture laws that threaten India’s food security, Minimum Support Price (MSP) system and destroy Indian agriculture and farmers.
“Braving severe repression, tear-gassing, heavy water cannoning, roadblocks, police barricades and digging up the national highways surrounding Delhi akin to waging a ‘war’ on our farmers, tens of thousands of farmers have successfully reached the National Capital of Delhi. We salute their determination and courage in this massive protest demanding the withdrawal of the retrograde anti-Kisan agri laws,” said the press statement.
The Indian National Congress (INC) published a separate video demanding an apology from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath after Minister of State, Forest, Environment and Climate Change Anil Sharma called protesting farmers “gundas” (hooligans.)
Similarly, former Congress President Rahul Gandhi tweeted in support of protesting farmers.
अन्याय के ख़िलाफ़ आवाज़ उठाना अपराध नहीं, कर्तव्य है।
मोदी सरकार पुलिस की फ़र्ज़ी FIR से किसानों के मज़बूत इरादे नहीं बदल सकती।
कृषि विरोधी काले क़ानूनों के ख़त्म होने तक ये लड़ाई जारी रहेगी।
हमारे लिए ‘जय किसान’ था, है और रहेगा! pic.twitter.com/EZWxMpIoJc
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 28, 2020
Meanwhile, people of Shaheen Bagh, Batla House, Abul Fazal, Jauhri Farm, Zakir Nagar, Ghaffar Manzil, Jamia Nagar extended their strong support to “farmers agitating against the ‘fascist farman’ (Diktat) of the right-wing neoliberal regime.”
“We the people of Jamia Nagar will be shortly visiting protest sites in a collective of Muslim men and women with our demands to repeal the CAA [Citizenship Amendment Act] and anti-farmer, anti-labour laws. This elected government should note that we elected them to enact and implement the guiding principles of the Indian Constitution, which promotes social justice, equality and fraternity, not eroding them through the process of Jingoistic majoritarianism. We won’t allow them to further erode and control the executive, judiciary, legislative, media and sell India to fascist and corporate lobbies of Ambani and Adani,” they said in a press statement.
They also demanded the government repeal its “anti-people laws” passed in 2014-2019 as well as policies passed during the current tenure.
Earlier on Saturday, the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) stated that Punjab and Haryana farmers have continued their onward march towards Delhi. The coalition called it an “unprecedented and undeterred mobilization ever witnessed in the history of the country.”
Moreover, they condemned the Uttar Pradesh government for its brutal, barbaric repressive behaviour against farmers’ protests in the state. Protestors from Uttarakhand have also been camping in Uttar Pradesh since they were detained by the state police.
Leaders also countered the notion that these protests are mainly Punjab-centric by pointing out that farmers are attempting to enter Delhi from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh, indicating that the resistance is pan-India. Further agitations are underway in numerous states including in Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and other areas.
“The lack of sincerity of this government is apparent in numerous ways. Empty assurances and statements will not be believed by farmers any more. The government chose to ignore farmer protests for months on end now, and tried to malign it in numerous ways. It spent crores of rupees of taxpayers’ money in a publicity blitzkrieg in the name of ‘farmers being misinformed’. This very attitude and approach of the Govt. is unacceptable,” said leaders in a press statement.
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