New Delhi: Taking a stand contrary to their earlier position on the farmers’ protest, RSS mouthpiece The Organiser has called this round of protests “undemocratic” and “unreasonable”. The RSS had lent its support to the protests that took place in 2020.
In the cover story for the February 25 issue, the magazine says that the farmers’ protest this time around is “politically motivated”.
“The farmers’ agitation that we witnessed around Delhi in 2020 was in the context of three bills related to reforms in the agricultural sector. This time around, there is no such reason. At the fag end of the 17th Lok Sabha and when the 2024 General Elections are around the corner, some organisations, mainly based in Punjab, suddenly decided to mobilise people towards Delhi,” the story states.
Saying that the “modus operandi” of the farmers is to do massive mobilisation and block roads, the piece says that the demands are “unreasonable”.
“… unreasonable demands such as legal guarantees related to Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all the crops, loan waivers, and pensions for all the farmers to withdraw from the World Trade Organisations,” the piece states.
“Some are also raising the sensitive and provocative issue of Khalistan,” it adds.
Accusing the farmers of mobilising even when the negotiations are going on, the piece states that the Opposition is lending a helping hand.
“Even when the negotiations are going on, the kind of mobilisation that is taking place not just to draw attention but to obstruct the traffic on the roads is undemocratic. In popular perception, the opposition parties are fuelling this protest to create an anti-Government atmosphere. Using farmers in this political game undermines the genuine concerns of the agriculture sector,” the piece says.
The piece also goes on to speak about the Sandeshkhali violence, and says that it is “undemocratic” and “against the basic principles of the rule of law”.
Published 21 February 2024, 20:00 IST