Opinion | Farmers’ agitation: Leftists agenda is to denigrate Modi
In my prime time show ‘Aaj Ki Baat’ on Monday night, we showed visuals of women supporters under the banner of Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha, a farmers’ wing of CPI, raising objectionable slogans like ‘Modi, Mar Ja Tu’ (Death to Modi) at the farmers’ dharna site at Shahjahanpur on Rajasthan-Haryana border.
It appears that the Left parties including CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML) and pro-Naxalites are furthering their own agenda in the guise of supporting the farmers’ cause. Farmers can never use such objectionable slogans against the Prime Minister. On Monday, the agitating farmers observed a day’s fast. They have been carrying on their agitation peacefully, but elements owing allegiance to the Left are trying to inject hatred and violence.
India TV reporter Pawan Nara spoke to Left activists present at the dharna site, and surprisingly they said there was nothing objectionable in such provocative slogans. It was revealed that the women raising anti-Modi slogans were not farmers, but belonged to Asha workers’ groups, who come to the dharna site daily to chant slogans. Videos of such slogan-shouting women are being circulated on social media by projecting them as farmers, while, in reality, these protesters have nothing to with farming. In recent times, such provocative slogans have been heard among ‘Tukde-Tukde’ gang activists in the campuses of JNU, AMU and Jamia Millia.
The farmers have nothing to do with such protesters who have a clear political agenda. They are braving the cold winter, staging their sit-in on the borders of Delhi in a peaceful manner. The ‘tukde-tukde’ gang activists are trying to force a confrontation between the farmers and the Centre by raising such provocative slogans. The Left supporters are not alone in this conspiracy. Anti-Indian separatist elements, with full support from Pakistan, are staging such anti-Modi rallies in London, Canada and the US.
In Canada, pro-Khalistan supporters raised anti-Modi slogans after getting encouragement from the remarks of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who had no business interfering in the internal affairs of India. A group of 22 former Indian diplomats on Monday in an open letter hit out at Justin Trudeau for “gratuitously” walking into the ongoing farmer protests, which amounted to blatantly interfering in India’s internal affairs. These former ambassadors have warned Canada not to allow the use of its soil for anti-Indian propaganda by Khalistani elements.
Justin Trudeau must realize that on one hand, the Indian government has allowed farmers to stage peaceful protests for the last 19 days, but in his own country, in Alberta province, the Canadian police brutally suppressed a farmers’ demonstration a few days ago and arrested all the protesters. It will be more appropriate for the Canadian PM to look after his own internal matters instead of interfering in India’s farmer protests. It is a known fact that many of the pro-Khalistan elements in Canada are providing support to Trudeau’s Liberal party and are solid ‘vote banks’.
Back in Delhi, the public hygiene situation on the national capital’s borders is worsening. Due to lack of an adequate number of toilets, collection of water at different spots leading to the proliferation of mosquito larvae, and lack of proper hygiene, many of the farmers have fallen sick. Our reporter Bhaskar Mishra visited three border points at Tikri, Singhu and Ghazipur and found dumps of garbage and lack of toilets. Old men, women and children were staying in the open with the protesters and it was a pitiable sight.
I would request farmers to send back their old relatives, women and children to their villages in order to protect them from communicable diseases during this Covid-19 pandemic. The farmers are free to call in their young relatives at their protest sites. I would also like to tell Delhi and Haryana governments to stop speaking like ‘sevadars’ only for mass consumption. Only 25 mobile toilets have been set up to handle 50,000 protesters, and it is a deplorable sight.
Both the state governments, headed by Arvind Kejriwal and ML Khattar, must increase the number of temporary toilets, provide warm water for the protesters and ensure proper sanitation. These farmers are our ‘annadatas’ (food providers) and we must ensure that they must not face difficulties.
I would also like to appeal to farmers to at least allow the entry of fruits and vegetable trucks into Delhi. I have seen visuals of rats and animals gorging on cauliflowers, carrots and turnips lying in the open because they cannot be transported to Delhi. The farmers must think of their own brethren who are suffering big losses because of the blockage of goods transport. They must also think of small traders and labourers, who depend on the transport of fruits and vegetables.
The farmers’ organisations should accept the Agriculture Minister’s open offer for discussing all the three farm laws clause wise so that a solution could be found out. Already much time has elapsed and the blockage of transport is causing huge loss to the economy.
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