‘To avoid such tragedy,’ Rahul Gandhi tweets in support of farmers’ protest, will meet President today

Quoting a news report that claims that a Delhi-based company has refused to buy paddy from Madhya Pradesh farmers under the agreement of contract farming, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said this is the reason why the protest is going on. “Farmers of India are agitating against the anti-agricultural laws to avoid such a tragedy. In this satyagraha, all of us will give to support our annadatas,” he said.

Addressing the farmers of Madhya Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently said contract farming will benefit farmers. The contracts will be only on the produce, not on land. Under the agriculture reforms, farmers can approach the administration if contract provisions are not kept. Farmers have also been empowered in the new laws to opt out of contracts at any time they want.

However, the report the Congress leader shared claimed that the contract did not have any sign or seal of the company.

The ongoing protests of the farmers will complete a month on December 25, coinciding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi releasing Rs 18,000 crore aid for farmers.

Rahul Gandhi on Thursday will lead a protest march of Congress MPs from Vijay Chowk to Rashtrapati Bhavan and will submit a memorandum containing two crore signatures to President Ram Nath Kovind.

Farmers’ protest at Delhi borders demanding an immediate withdrawal of the three agriculture laws entered the 29th day on Thursday — with no solution at sight. The agriculture ministry had invited the farmers for further talks which did not proceed after 5th round. But no date has been decided yet. Farmers have sought a new proposal from the ministry as fresh talks can’t happen on proposals which they already nixed. In their reply, they have demanded higher MSPs from the ministry.