Day 270

Toll 581

Rakhi

We all know soldiers on the borders receive rakhis from the nation. Yesterday, farmers on Delhi’s borders also received rakhis. After all, like soldiers who defend nation from external enemies, farmers too are defending the nation from internal aggressors.

The protest for better sugarcane State Advisory Price (SAP) continues in Jalandhar. Farmers have blocked the national highway and train lines. Given Raksha Bandhan, the farmers did allow private cars and other vehicles on the roads but trucks and other state vehicles are blocked. The discussions between farmers and the state remained inconclusive.

As farmers leaders say: the protest in Delhi is for the nation, the protest in Jalandhar is for Panjab. The chief minister will make an announcement tomorrow.

In a written reply in the state Assembly, Shriram Chauhan, minister of state, Uttar Pradesh minister said: ‘the new ‘APMC Bypass Act’ created by the Central Government has adversely impacted the market revenues.’ He also said that the government has decided not to invest in new markets. A BJP ally, Janata Dal United’s KC Tyagi has endorsed the farmers demand to repeal the Farm Laws.

19 opposition parties have jointly put out a statement yesterday announcing nation-wide protests from September 20th to 30th, to get 11 issues addressed by the Modi government. One of the demands is ‘repeal the three anti-agriculture laws and compulsorily guarantee MSP to farmers’. These developments in BJP and Opposition are a complete vindication of the protesting farmers stand.

Meanwhile, in Haryana, the BJP-JJP state government has filed 136 cases, in addition to two cases of sedition against protesting farmers in the state. In these cases, the government has named 687 protestors by name, and has also filed cases against 38,000 unknown persons as accused. A mockery of justice!

See picture here…