Yogendra Yadav takes farmers’ fight to Chautala’s house

The Haryana police on Wednesday detained Swaraj India chief Yogendra Yadav and his associates for protesting near the houses of Haryana deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala and power and jails minister Ranjit Chautala in Sirsa.

Yadav and the protesting farmers were demanding the resignation of two ministers for being a part of the BJP government in Haryana which passed three “anti-farmer laws” recently.

#INC is rightly evaluating legal provisions on circumventing this farm bill in states where it is in power.Even though bills passed through both houses are likely to prevail over state laws, this exercise might lift morale of the farmers and help in gaining mass support for #INC

— Sayantan Nandi (@SayantanNandi) September 29, 2020

The Civil Lines police took Yadav and nearly 100 farmers in custody alleging violation of Covid-19 rules.

Yadav said they are on an indefinite strike since Tuesday night and will continue their protests until Dushyant Chautala and his granduncle resign from the Khattar government. Despite the detention f Yadav and others, several farmers resumed the protest at Bhuman Shah chowk.

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“The farmers have clearly asked the duo to choose whether they want to stay with them or the BJP government in Haryana. They can enjoy power for four years if they opt for the BJP, but the upcoming generations of farmers will never forgive them for supporting these death warrants,” said Yogendra Yadav while referring to the farm bills passed by the Modi government. The three bills, which have got the Presidential nod, are now law. However, the new Acts continue to face opposition from the opposition parties and a big section of farmers, who are calling the three laws, ‘death warrants’ for the farming community.

Exactly a year back, Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) leader Dushyant Chautala had decided to join hands with BJP to shore up the latter’s numbers in the Haryana Assembly. Chautala was criticized then for aligning with a party which he fought bitterly on ideological grounds.

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Last two weeks saw protests against the new farm laws raging across the country, especially in Punjab and Haryana.

The Modi government claims the new laws are farmer-friendly as they will make it easier for farmers to sell their produce directly to big buyers, thus removing the middlemen and opening up the system to competitive selling and buying.

The opposition parties do not buy the government’s argument. They feel the farmer will lose his bargaining power if retailers have a tight control over him. The parties also claim the proposed laws will destroy wholesale markets which ensure fair and timely payments to farmers and hit state economy.