Addressing a farmer rally at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan, where thousands of farmers from Maharashtra have gathered in a show of support for protesting farmers at Delhi borders, NCP president Sharad Pawar said, “Braving cold weather, farmers from Punjab, Haryana & Uttar Pradesh are agitating for the last 60 days. Has the PM enquired about them? Do these farmers belong to Pakistan?"
Attacking the Governor of Maharashtra, Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Pawar said that the Governor has the moral duty to come and meet the farmers.
“You are going to Raj Bhavan to meet the Governor. Maharashtra has never seen such a Governor before. He has the time to meet Kangana (Ranaut) but not the farmers. It was the moral responsibility of the Governor to come here and meet you,” said Pawar.
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He also accused the BJP government at the centre of not holding any discussion before passing the bill in the Parliament.
"The discussion over the farm laws began when I was the Union agriculture minister in 2003-04. We discussed them with the agriculture ministers of all the states. The deliberations remained inconclusive. The BJP government passed these laws without any debate and in a single day in Parliament,” said Pawar
“It's unfortunate that those who are in power don't care about farmers. Centre refused oppositions demand to refer these laws to select committee. This was a way put to built consensus. But Modi govt insisted it is passed as it was. It is a violation of the Constitution,” the NCP chief added.
He also said that there will be no compromise on the minimum support price (MSP).
Thousands of farmers have gathered in Mumbai in a show of support for the protesting farmers at the Delhi border. More than 15,000 farmers from across 21 districts in Maharashtra started ‘vehicle-march’ on Sunday to begin their three-day sit-in protest at Azad Maidan in Mumbai. The protesting farmers have gathered under the banner of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) and demanding the repeal of three farm laws.
Farmers will march to the Raj Bhawan and submit a memorandum to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari demanding revocation of the three farm laws.
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