Spokesperson: Shri Pawan Khera: He said that today, as we speak, we have been getting reports, watching reports through your channels and websites. The kind of angst, helplessness, which the farmers are facing and based on that they call for a ‘Bharat Bandh’ today, which we whole-heartedly support. What is the reason, why have we come to this situation? Why for the last 10 months we find farmers on the roads? They have been suffering due to astronomical rise in the prices of agriculture inputs, like DAP, MPK, Potash, super fertilizers, and agricultural implements. On agricultural equipment, there is a GST from 12% to 18%. As if this was not enough, this government without the due process of consultation with stake holders, went ahead and bulldozed all democratic norms, bulldozed all parliamentary practices and brought these three black laws, which the farmers are protesting and we are absolutely supporting them in their demands.

They stand to lose. You, on January 22, made a loud announcement and when the Prime Minister say something, people do try and take it seriously, even this Prime Minister people took him seriously for a bit. When, this Prime Minister comes and tells you that I am a phone call away, the solution is the phone call away, this was January 22, 2021. The farmers are waiting for that phone call. Instead of the phone call, what has the Prime Minister done, what has his pet media done, what has his government done, what has his party done? Online offline on the roads, they have tried to delegitimize the farmers of this country, they have tried to portray them as enemies of the country.

Instead of engaging with them, instead of telling them- yes, we have gone wrong, we will correct what we have done, we will undo what we have done, this is what the Government is doing and that’s why the farmers are angry, that’s why the farmers are agitating, that’s why the farmers are on the roads today and we, each one of us, irrespective of our political affiliation, irrespective of our occupations, we need to support. We need to come to the support of the farmers, only then, will this government perhaps heed.

It’s a pity that a country, which is a civilization in itself, which is the mother of all democracies, is being given a lecture on democracy, when we travel abroad. It is shameful for all of us. Farmers are exercising their democratic right to protest, and it is our duty to support them in this democratic right. This country has seen many Prime Ministers. There will be many more after him, but you cannot be arrogant, when you are a Prime Minister. You have to listen to your country and when 60% of your country speaks, please listen to them.

You have a strange confidence and a strange belief in your diversionary tactics. You are very confident that the moment elections come, you will be able to distract the attention of the country again from the basic fundamental critical issues that the farmers face today. I am sorry; this is not going to happen again.

We are here again amidst you to extend our whole-hearted support to the legitimate demands of the farmers, to the peaceful protest, to the democratic protest of the farmers of India today. Monday, September 27, 2021