Congress, AAP to hold protests in Punjab on Dec 14 in solidarity with farmers

Chandigarh, December 11

To express solidarity with farmers agitating against the newly enacted farm laws, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab will hold separate state-level protests on December 14.

Both parties have said they stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the protesting farmers and will leave no stone unturned in getting their voices heard.

Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar said on Friday that his party would hold a large demonstration at Shambu (inter-state) border on December 14 in support of the farmers.

Talking to reporters here on the sidelines of a meeting with the Cabinet Ministers and party MLAs here, he said the Congress would also participate in the district level protest called by the farmers on the same day.

He said the demonstration would be organised so that the “insensitive and adamant” central government can hear the voice of the farmers.

Jakhar said the protests would be staged from 11 am to 3 pm.

“The Central Government must leave its arrogant behaviour and must accept the demands of the farmers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi should immediately listen to the farmers and respect their demands and repeal the three black laws,” he added.

AAP state unit president and Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann also announced his party’s whole-hearted support to the call given by the protesting farmers to intensify their agitation and escalate it to a nationwide protest on December 14.

He said the party would hold protests at district headquarters across Punjab on December 14 against the new farm laws.

State Congress chief Jakhar said his party would soon hold a big rally on the farmers’ issue.

“Had the Centre consulted farmers before framing these laws, no one would have had to go through this. Neither the farmers would have been forced to sit and protest far away from their homes in cold weather nor the common people would have faced inconvenience,” Jakhar said.

He said the Punjab government had strongly presented the real picture of the Centre’s “black laws” before the people of the state.

“These black farm laws would prove just as detrimental for the country’s economy as demonetisation,” Jakhar claimed.

Echoing a similar sentiment, AAP leader Mann said the farmers had been forced to take to streets to protest against the contentious agriculture laws pushed by the Modi government to “give a free run to its favourite corporate houses”.

He claimed that the Centre was adopting repressive measures to crush the farmers’ agitation instead of acceding to their demands.

“The Aam Aadmi Party has been opposing the black laws since the day the ordinances were issued and will stand shoulder to shoulder with the farmers till these were revoked,” he said.

Mann said the Arvind Kejriwal government in the national capital had fielded its ministers, MLAs and volunteers to help the farmers protesting on the Delhi borders in every possible way.

Farmer unions, particularly in Punjab and Haryana, say the new laws will lead to the dismantling of the MSP system under which government agencies buy their crop at an assured price.

In its proposal to farmers on Wednesday, the Centre said it would give a written assurance that the MSP system will remain and also redress their other key concerns.

The unions, however, demand the complete rollback of the central laws and are continuing their agitation. PTI