Farmer’s Protest calling for Bharat Band on September 27
Amid the ongoing protests of the farmers against the Centre’s three farm laws, the Congress party has decided to support the Bharat Bandh called by the farmers on September 27.
The party has been strongly opposing the Centre’s move since the beginning and many of the party leaders at different occasions have met the farmers and slammed the government for introducing the laws.
Congress’ former president Rahul Gandhi has been on the forefront and has stood by the farmers’ struggle against the laws. Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that he will lose the election if he contests from Gujarat.
This is to be noted that farmers have been protesting since November last year 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.
Related Posts
The measures, introduced last September, allow farmers to directly sell their produce, outside government-regulated wholesale markets, to big buyers. The government says this will unshackle farmers and help them get better prices. Farmers, however, say the legislation will hurt their livelihood and leave them with scant bargaining power against big private retailers and food processors.
Farmer leaders and the Centre have also held several rounds of talks but the impasse remains. Farming and Agriculture is apparently a vast sector in India that sustains almost half of the country’s more than 1.3 billion people and reportedly accounts for about 15 per cent of the country’s $2.7 trillion economy.
