Tag: farmers protest

  • All you need to know about Indian farmers’ protests as world shames Modi govt

    With international celebrities, including Rihanna and Greta Thunberg, voicing concerns over the law and order situation in India as farmers continue to give the Narendra Modi-government a tough time while seeking fulfillment of their demands, ‘#FarmersProtest’ has become the top trend on Twitter even beyond Indian borders — in Pakistan.

    But what do the protesters, who have now been on roads for two months, really want?

    The ongoing demonstrations caught most attention when Indian law enforcement resorted to violence against the farmers who had converged on New Delhi on the country’s Republic Day.

    According to Associated Press (AP), farmers hailing from northern Punjab and Haryana states, the two biggest agricultural producers, are demanding the repeal of laws passed by the parliament in September that they say will favor large corporate farms, devastate the earnings of many farmers and leave those who hold small plots behind as big corporations win out.

    Modi has billed the laws as necessary to modernise Indian farming.

    In recent weeks, people who are not farmers have also joined in, and the protests gained momentum in November when the farmers tried to march into New Delhi but were stopped by police. Since then, they have promised to hunker down at the edge of the city until the laws are repealed.

    At the heart of these protests are Indian farmers’ fears that the government’s moves to introduce market reforms to the farming sector will leave them poorer — at a time when they are already frustrated over their declining clout as the government aims to turn India into a hub for global corporations.

    The new legislation is not clear on whether the government will continue to guarantee prices for certain essential crops — a system that was introduced in the 1960s to help India shore up its food reserves and prevent shortages.

    While the government has said it is willing to pledge the guaranteed prices will continue, the farmers are skeptical and want new legislation that says such prices are their legal right.

    Farmers also fear that the legislation signals the government is moving away from a system in which an overwhelming majority of farmers sell only to government-sanctioned marketplaces. They worry this will leave them at the mercy of corporations that will have no legal obligation to pay them the guaranteed price anymore.

    The Modi government argues that this is designed to give farmers more choice in who to sell their produce to. It also says the legislation will benefit farmers by boosting production through private investment.

    The government has offered to amend the laws and suspend their implementation for 18 months — but that has not satisfied farmers who want a full repeal.

    Clauses in the legislation also prevent farmers from taking contract disputes to courts, leaving them with no independent means of redress apart from government-appointed bureaucrats.

    These perceived threats to their income terrify India’s farmers, who are mostly smallholders as around 70% of them own less than 1 hectare of land.

  • Kangana Ranaut has a meltdown after Rihanna tweets about Indian farmers

    Just as expected, Kangana Ranaut had a meltdown after Rihanna extended her support for the ongoing farmers’ protest in India. Sharing an article which reported on the internet shut down in several districts of Haryana amid violent clashes between police and farmers over the weekend, the multi-Grammy award-winning singer said: “Why aren’t we talking about this?”

    Soon after Rihanna’s tweet, Kangana, who has been actively slamming those participating in the protests, reacted to the singer’s tweet calling her a “fool” and referring to the farmers as “terrorists”.

    “No one is talking about it because they are not farmers they are terrorists who are trying to divide India so that China can take over our vulnerable broken nation and make it a Chinese colony much like the USA,” wrote an agitated Kangana.

    “Sit down you fool, we are not selling our nation like you dummies,” she added.

    https://twitter.com/KanganaTeam/status/1356640083546406913

    When Twitter user brought up an old tweet of Kangana’s in which she had said: “Alexa play Diamonds by Rihanna”, the actor lashed out saying: “I took over my account in August last year. Before that, it was a team fan page.”

    “Mujhe na pop music samajh aata hai, na hee main English gaane zyaada sunti hoon,” she added.

    Kangana then launched into a full blown attack against Rihanna, calling her a porn star and saying that there is nothing special about her.

    Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has appreciated Rihanna’s gesture of support for the farmers.

    “You have earned the respect of every farmer of the world and particularly of Punjabis all around the world,” said Chaudhry in a tweet. “You have shown your heart is in the right place.”

    “Loads of respect,” he added.

    Farmer’s Protest

    Thousands of farmers have gathered at Delhi’s gateways to demand a repeal of the Centre’s three new farm laws. The protesting farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana as well as Uttar Pradesh, are worried the new laws will eliminate the safety cushion of a Minimum Support Price and procurement system while rendering ineffective the mandi system that ensures earnings for various stakeholders in the farm sector.

  • Jawad Ahmad says Pakistan also needs a farmers’ movement

    Jawad Ahmad has expressed that Pakistan also needs a farmers’ movement like the one happening in India.

    Speaking to the Times of India about his new song Kisana, the singer-turned-politician compared the conditions of farmers in India and Pakistan saying: “The third-world economies are still largely based on primitive methods and tools of agriculture and we need a peasant’s rights movement all over the world, including Pakistan.”

    He added that he made the song after seeing how India’s farmer movement is being recognised by the farmer community across the world.

    Kisana, which was released in the last week of December has already gathered thousands of views and is making waves across the border. The music of the song has been composed by Sahar Ali Bagga.

    The song’s description states: “Kisana is a revolutionary song for peasants of the world, to inspire and motivate them to struggle for their rights. It is a dedication by Jawad Ahmad to all the global peasant movements.”

    Meanwhile, the song calls peasants the providers of the world, saying that the farmers are the ones who give food to judges and police officers, so they should be respected.

    Ahmad, who entered politics a few years ago with his ‘Barabri Party Pakistan’ is very vocal about the rights of marginalized groups. The vision of his party is “To establish a truly democratic state based on equitable distribution of wealth, equality of right over resources so that whatever is found, grown and produced in this country is equally accessible to all and equal access to opportunities regardless of race, religion, gender, and ethnicity.”

    Farmer’s Protest

    Thousands of farmers have gathered at Delhi’s gateways to demand a repeal of the Centre’s three new farm laws. The protesting farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana as well as Uttar Pradesh, are worried the new laws will eliminate the safety cushion of a Minimum Support Price and procurement system while rendering ineffective the mandi system that ensures earnings for various stakeholders in the farm sector.

    Read more – Diljit Dosanjh gave Kangana Ranaut a piece of mind over the farmers’ protests and we’re here for it

    70 people have reportedly died during the ongoing protests and though several rounds of talks have happened between farmer unions and the government, a solution has not yet been reached.

  • Diljit Dosanjh shares proof of Indian citizenship, requests people not to spread hate

    Diljit Dosanjh shares proof of Indian citizenship, requests people not to spread hate

    Diljit Dosanjh has been in the news ever since he joined and voiced his support for the ongoing farmers’ protests in India. The singer-turned-actor has been actively campaigning for the farmers, urging authorities to hear their appeals.

    Dosanjh also donated one crore Indian rupees to farmers after which reports emerged that the income tax department had initiated a probe into the actor’s finances. Several social media users accused him of income tax fraud and also questioned his citizenship.

    To shut down rumours, Dosanjh shared the income tax certificates of gratitude that were given to him by the Indian Ministry of Finance.

    “We appreciate the taxpayer, in the Platinum category, in recognition of the contribution towards building this great Nation,” the certificate reads.

    The actor also requested his followers not to spread hate while sharing the picture of the certificate.

    Dosanjh was earlier involved in a Twitter feud with Kangana Ranaut over the farmer’s protests. But it appears that the argument did not end there because Kangana has launched a fresh attack on him.

    Responding to Dosanjh’s vacation pictures, Kangana tweeted: “Amazing, brother! After inciting farmers and applauding their decision to protest in this biting cold, you are having quite the time vacationing abroad.”

    “This is what I mean when I talk about a ‘Local Revolutionary’,” she added.

    Dosanjh immediately hit back at Kangana saying: “Farmers are not that naïve. They cannot be swayed or influenced by what people like you or me have to say on this issue. They have a mind of their own. And you cannot seem to stop staring at my social media posts…Punjabis are waiting for your answer. Don’t think we have forgotten about you.”