From the Newsroom: Uttar Pradesh farmers threaten to intensify protest

In your evening news brief, From The Newsroom, UP farmers threaten to intensify their stir; B C Patil says farmers who commit suicide are cowards; Enforcement Directorate conducts raids at 26 premises linked to the Popular Front of India in nine states; Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai says the state will have a law against "Love Jihad and Mahashay Dharampal Gulati, the MDH owner and CEO, passed away.

Here are the top stories of December 3, 2020:

The farmers from Uttar Pradesh protesting at the Delhi border points against the Centre's new farm laws on Thursday threatened to intensify their stir and called for forming a commission to look into their grievances.

Expressing their full support to the protesting farmers of Punjab and Haryana, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu group) cautioned against moves to divide the farmers' protest.

Karnataka Agriculture Minister B C Patil on Thursday said the farmers who commit suicide are cowards. "The farmers who commit suicide are cowards. Only a coward who can't take care of his wife and children commits suicide. When we have fallen (in the water), we have to swim and win," Patil said addressing farmers at Ponnampet in the Kodagu district of Karnataka.

The minister was explaining to bamboo growers of Ponnampet how profitable the agriculture business is, but some cowards do not realise that and commit suicide.

The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday conducted raids at 26 premises linked to the Popular Front of India in nine states, including those belonging to its Chairman O M Abdul Salam and Kerala chief Nasarudheen Elamarom, in connection with a money-laundering probe.

The Popular Front called it a "politically motivated" action while claiming that such raids usually happen whenever the government in power comes under the pressure of popular anger and it wants to divert national attention from it through "gimmick", referring to the ongoing protest by farmers against three agriculture sector laws.

Karnataka will have a law against "love jihad", and officials have been directed to gather information regarding an ordinance promulgated in Uttar Pradesh in this regard, state Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Thursday.

Uttar Pradesh had recently promulgated an ordinance against forcible or fraudulent religious conversions, which provides for imprisonment of up to 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 50,000 under different categories.

Mahashay Dharampal Gulati, the MDH owner, and CEO passed away at the age of 98, on Thursday morning. As soon as word broke of his sad demise, users took to various social media platforms to mourn his demise, and send their condolences.