Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav on Saturday voiced his support to the farmers’ protest in Delhi and sought to know if the Union government was even listening to them.
“From day one, protesting farmers have been demanding that all three laws be repealed and that legal guarantee be provided for minimum support price for farm products. But the Union government is not listening to them,” he said at a press conference on Saturday following an open consultation meeting on farm laws organised by the Aikya Horata Samiti, a coalition of farmers.
Farmers’ leaders from States including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana took part in the meeting.
Mr. Yadav said farmers had given an ultimatum to the government to meet their demands by January 26. If it fails to do so, then lakhs of farmers across the country would participate in a ‘Kisan Parade’ on January 26 in Delhi in a peaceful manner, he said. Karnataka farmers, who cannot come to Delhi on January 26, can participate in a tractor rally on the same day in Bengaluru. The rally will be conducted after the Republic Day parade.
“We are in the middle of a truly historic farmers’ agitation of a kind that this country has never seen. Farmers have come from all over the country and their resolve is unmatched. They have been protesting for over 50 days in the cold. The government had thought that the numbers would dwindle after a few days, but they have only risen,” he added.
He pointed out that protesters were getting support from people who have got nothing to do with farming. “This has become an iconic movement in the country,” he told the media.
Mr. Yadav accused the Union government of resorting to “dirty tricks” by labelling the protest as a local uprising by rich farmers, Khalistanis, and so on.
“Nothing has worked because in India one cannot villainise farmers,” he said.
He accused the Centre of not being serious about demands of farmers and holding talks only to create an impression in the media that it is listening to them. “Nothing is happening in those meetings; the government is not willing to acknowledge what the farmers really want. That is why the farmers have had no option but to intensify the movement going forward,” he said.
