By Raju Vernekar
Mumbai, Dec 12:
NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Friday warned the central government against testing the patience of farmers protesting against the three new agricultural laws which, he said, had been hurried through Parliament.
“The farm laws were passed in hurry. There is a chance that this protest will spread across the nation. The solution to end this stalemate is to roll back the laws and have discussion with farmers,” Pawar told media here.
“We insist…the farmer is the annadata (food provider) of the country. His tolerance should not be tested,” NCP President said indicating that the current deadlock between the protesters and the authorities is likely to continue for some time. The farmers “extreme demand” of withdrawing the laws was now faced with the government’s unfavourable stance.
The veteran leader, who was also Union agriculture minister, said that more people, travelling on around 700 tractors, had joined the ongoing protest along the Delhi border on Friday morning. “I have been told that more farmers are coming every day and joining them from different parts of county,” he said. “The protest is restricted to Delhi border. But it cannot be ruled out that it may spread elsewhere, too, if no decision is taken in time.”
When asked about Union Minister Raosaheb Danve’s comment about the involvement of China and Pakistan in the farmers’ agitation, he said, “Some people are such that they do not have the sense of what should be said where and how. He had made such statements in the past too…We should not pay attention to such comments.”
Whereas the Shiv Sena has taunted its former ally BJP, saying the government should “immediately conduct a surgical strike on China and Pakistan” if a minister has information of their role in the farmer protests. “If a Union Minister has information that China and Pakistan have a hand behind the farmers’ agitation, then, the Defence Minister should immediately conduct a surgical strike on China and Pak. The President, Prime Minister, Home Minister and Chiefs of the Armed Forces should discuss this issue seriously,” Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut has said.
In the meanwhile the farmers’ who attempted to block toll plazas in some parts of the country in the last two days are planning to “gherao” residences of BJP leaders on Monday (14 December).
