The Chief Minister has reiterated her support to the leaders and requested all opposition CMs to come together and back the farmers’ demand.
Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday seeking support for their agitation against the farm laws introduced last year. The Chief Minister has reiterated her support to the leaders and requested all opposition CMs to come together and back the farmers’ demand.
After the meeting, Tikait said, āThe Chief Minister assured us that she will continue to support the farmers’ movement. We thank her for this assurance. West Bengal should work as a model state and farmers should be given more benefits.ā’
Industries are suffering and GST is being levied on medicines. For the last 7 months, they (Central government) didn't bother to speak to farmers. I demand that all three farm laws are withdrawn: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee pic.twitter.com/Qc8W6MesNU
— ANI (@ANI) June 9, 2021
The West Bengal Chief Minister while slamming the Centre said that “bulldozing” the “federal structure” isn’t good.
Her support for the north India-based farmers’ unions comes within days of the Trinamool Congress announcing that the party would spread its footprints outside West Bengal.
The Bharatiya Kisan Union led by Tikait had supported the ”No vote for BJP” campaign ahead of the West Bengal assembly elections and have plans to extend that in other upcoming state elections as well.
Ms Banerjee announced after the meeting that her “support for the farmers’ movement will be there” and added that “India is hungrily waiting for policies which help in fighting COVID-19, assist farmers and industry”.
āIndustries are suffering and GST is being levied on medicines. For the last 7 months, they (Central government) didn’t bother to speak to farmers. I demand that all three farm laws are withdrawn.ā said Banerjee
Also Read: Carry Out āSurgical Strikeā On COVID-19: Bombay High Court To Centre
Meanwhile, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Wednesday also said that the government is ready to resume talks with protesting farmers but asked the unions to point out their objections to the provisions of the three farm laws with sound logic.
The government and unions have held 11 rounds of talks, the last being on January 22, to break the deadlock and end the farmers’ protest.
Talks have not resumed following widespread violence during a tractor rally by protesting farmers on January 26.
Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at Delhi’s borders for close to a year in protest against the three laws that they feel will commercialise agriculture without adequate protection to small farmers from exploitation by large retail chains and industry.
The Supreme Court has put on hold the implementation of the three laws till further orders and set up a committee to find solutions.
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