Patna: Hundreds march toward Governor's house against three farm laws
What's the story
To lodge a protest against three farm laws passed by the Centre in September, hundreds of people participated in a march in Patna. The terminal point of the march is the house of Governor Phagu Chauhan, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The march has the support of Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sangharsh Samanvay Samiti and a couple of Left organizations. Here's more.
Background
Three laws passed in September left farmers angry
The three laws were passed in the Monsoon Session after much uproar from the Opposition. The BJP said these laws would liberalize the agricultural sector, as it would free farmers from the chains of middlemen. However, farmers believe these laws would help corporate players by allowing them to decide the price of crops. Farmers also argued that the laws would adversely affect their incomes.
Protest
Farmers camping at Delhi's borders; march taken out in Patna
To force the Centre to repeal the laws, farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, have been camping at Delhi's borders. And today, thousands of kilometers away, a protest march began in Bihar's capital with the same demand. The march started from the iconic Gandhi Maidan. Reportedly, the protesters weren't allowed to move beyond the Dak Bungalow Chowk, sparking a clash between them and the police.
Twitter Post
Here are some visuals from the spot
Patna: Members of Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sangharsh Samanvay Samiti and other Left organisations hold protest march to the Governor's House over Centre's three farm laws#Bihar pic.twitter.com/6zMvfURdRC
— ANI (@ANI) December 29, 2020
Centre's claims
Centre told farmers their land is safe, 'mandis' will remain
Facing ire from the farmers, the Centre has repeatedly said they are being misled by the Opposition. On charges that the laws were passed in a jiffy without consultations, the BJP-led regime said previous governments also wanted to bring in the same reforms. The Centre has also assured farmers that mandis won't cease to exist and that their land is not under threat.
Talks
After five rounds of talks failed, farmers toughened their stand
So far, the Centre and farmers have sat on the negotiation table five times, but all rounds of talks failed. Last week, the farmers said they would agree to have a talk with the government only if a repeal of the laws will be considered. They also added another demand — a draft legalizing MSP. Thereafter, the government said talks on MSPs weren't logical.
Talks
Farmers and Centre will talk again tomorrow
However, on Monday, farmers agreed to come for another discussion tomorrow. "The meeting will discuss the laws related to all three new agrarian reforms, the existing system of MSP, Central Electricity Bill, and the Commission Ordinance brought for pollution," a senior official of the Agriculture Ministry said. Earlier, the Supreme Court also berated the Centre for failing to end the deadlock.