'Kisan Parliament': Farmers to protest at Jantar Mantar from tomorrow
Farmer unions have said their representatives will go to the Jantar Mantar in Delhi daily to protest against the new farm laws, starting tomorrow, July 22. Two-hundred protesters will go from the Singhu border to the iconic monument to demand the withdrawal of the controversial laws. The demonstration will coincide with the ongoing Monsoon Session of the Parliament.
"We will hold 'Kisan Parliament' from July 22 till the Monsoon Session ends and 200 protesters will go to Jantar Mantar every day," farmers' leaders said on Tuesday. "One Speaker and one Deputy Speaker will be chosen every day. In the first two days, there will be discussion over the APMC Act. Later, the other Bills will also be discussed every two days."
The protesting farmers had held a meeting with Delhi Police officials on Tuesday, following which they said they would not go to the Parliament and instead hold peaceful demonstrations at the Jantar Mantar. The protest will be held from 10 am to 5 pm daily. "We...gave assurance that the protest will be peaceful," said Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Mahasangh President Shiv Kumar Kakka.
"Police were informed that the protest will be peaceful. We will sit at Jantar Mantar from 10 am to 5 pm. Nobody will go to Parliament and neither we will allow any political person to come to the protest," Kakka said.
The Monsoon Session of the Parliament had commenced on Monday and will conclude on August 13. The Congress and several other Opposition parties have been raising the farmers' issues there. On Tuesday, the Shiromani Akali Dal, a former ally of the ruling BJP, had boycotted a meeting on COVID-19 called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, citing the farmers' protest.
Thousands of farmers have been camping at Delhi's borders to protest against three new agricultural laws. They are demanding a complete withdrawal of the laws and multiple rounds of discussions between them and the government have failed to end the agitation. The Centre says the reforms will uplift farmers, while they argue that the laws will make them vulnerable to big corporates.
