On Lohri, protesting farmers burn copies of new farm laws

Farmers burnt copies of three contentious farm laws on the festival of Lohri on Wednesday even as protesters said the Centre has "totally failed" to justify in the past over 50 days of their struggle how these Acts will benefit them.

The farmers chose Lohri, a popular Punjabi winter folk festival in which bonfires play an important part, to protest against the laws. After lighting bonfires, the protesters in various parts of the country burnt the copies of the laws.

Even as the protesters refused to budge, Minister of State for Agriculture Parshottam Rupala said the government is in favour of continuing talks, as it believes a solution can be found only through dialogue. So far, eight rounds of negotiations have been held between the government and the protesters and a fresh round is scheduled for Friday.

"Talks must continue. It is only through dialogue, a way forward can be found," Rupala was quoted by PTI as saying.

The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee, an amalgamation of over 250 farmers' unions that is spearheading the protest at Delhi borders, said it has issued calls to all districts within 300 km of Delhi to mobilise thousands of tractors for the Republic Day Tractor Parade in Delhi.

The protesters will also hold Mahila Kisan Diwas programmes on January 18 and 'Mahapadavs' at Raj Bhavans in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Kerala from January 23 to 25, in Maharashtra from January 24 to 26 and in Odisha on January 23.

In a statement, the AIKSCC said the Centre's logic of technology upgradation, capital investments, value addition, growth come to nought with the enactment of these Acts.

"It is with this logic that the government has allocated Rs 1 lakh crore to help private investment, which it is not ready to spend on fulfilling its own responsibility towards the farmers in the areas of technology upgradation, capital investments and assured market for value addition. Corporate investors will only do so to make high profit and control natural resources including land and water," it said.

The AIKSCC also said that after reading the Supreme Court order, it was also clear that the government has "falsely accused" farmer leaders of not pointing out “even one clause” which is “detrimental to their interests”.

"Farmers' unions have in writing and during discussions given full details of the detrimental effects of each and every clause and the collective undermining of the farmers’ rights over markets, their security of land, the expected rise in prices of inputs and services, the expected fall in the price of produce, the increase in farmer debts, farmer suicides, the winding up of PDS, the rise in food prices and the rise in starvation deaths, etc. The government has not only failed the farmers," it added.