Tikait was addressing farmers, late on Wednesday night, in Sisauli village when he returned home after 383 days of protest…reports Asian Lite News.
Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait has said that the farmers’ struggle would be written in golden letters.
Tikait also clarified that he had no intentions of contesting elections and warned people against using his photographs on political hoardings.
“I have nothing to do with any political party,” he said.
Tikait was addressing farmers, late on Wednesday night, in Sisauli village when he returned home after 383 days of protest.
“Our struggle will be written in golden letters. I will continue to fight for farmers’ rights till my last breath,” he said.
Tikait reached Sisauli in a large procession of his supporters and was showered with flower petals all along the route.
‘Laddoos’ were distributed at every crossing on the Meerut-Muzaffarnagar highway and langars organised every 25 kilometres from Ghazipur border to Muzaffarnagar.
BKU spokesperson Rakesh Tikait prepares to leave after farmers ended their year-long agitation against the contentious farm reform laws, in New Delhi, Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021. (Pallav Paliwal)
Tikait’s wife, Sunita Devi, lit hundreds of diyas to welcome him at their house in Jaat colony.
“My husband is coming home after 383 days today. The number of lamps I should light in his welcome shall be no less. Just as Lord Ram came back to Ayodhya, my Ram is coming home today,” she told reporters.
Tikait had not gone home ever since the start of the farmers’ movement.
The second demand was the withdrawal of cases against the farmers booked during the nearly 15-month-long agitation…reports Asian Lite News.
After receiving a letter from the government promising to meet the farmers’ demands, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Thursday declared to return home after suspending its agitation on Saturday, albeit with a rider that a review meeting would be convened on January 15.
The government’s letter, signed by Sanjay Agrawal, Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, was finalised after the farmers suggested additions/deletions over two drafts. However, there are certain gaps between the demands raised by the farmers after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced to repeal the three contentious farm laws and those promised by the government.
Although it gives the impression that both parties have climbed down on certain issues, experts said the main issue of farm laws repeal has historic ramification and that when issues such as MSP will take time to evolve and resolve, the content of the letter should not be held against the farmers.
To start with, Modi had on November 19 promised to form a committee to discuss all farm-related issues, including the Minimum Support Price (MSP). The farmers had then declined to accept it and declared that their agitation would continue till the time a law ensures MSP for all farmers and for all produce.
The letter on Thursday promised to form a committee, which will include farmers’ representatives, and one of the mandates would be to derive how to ensure that farmers get MSP, and the status quo will continue for MSP procurement as of now.
The second demand was withdrawal of cases against the farmers booked during the nearly 15-month-long agitation.
Agrawal claimed that the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana — all BJP ruled states incidentally — have agreed to withdraw all such cases with immediate effect.
He also promised that cases lodged by the Centre’s related departments and agencies and by the administrations of Delhi and all the Union Territories would be withdrawn with immediate effect too.
“The government of India will appeal to the other states to withdraw similar cases too,” the Secretary assured.
The letter mentioned that Uttar Pradesh and Haryana governments have given in principle agreement to pay compensation to the farmers (assumed to be the same as mentioned by the SKM in its letters — for those who lost their lives during the more than a year of agitation) and that the government of Punjab has already made a public announcement regarding the same.
Incidentally, earlier last week, the government had told the Lok Sabha that it does not have any data related to farmers’ deaths and hence there was no question of paying compensation to anyone.
Agrawal also promised to hold a meeting of all the stakeholders on the issue of power bills impacting the farmers, only after which the Electricity Bill would be introduced.
On the issue of decriminalising stubble burning, the letter said that the provisions are already in place in the law already passed (Commission for Air Quality Management law).
Stating that the above five assurances are enough to meet the long-pending demands of the farmers, the letter said, “There seems to be no reason to continue the agitation. Hence the farmers are requested to end it.”
The letter, however, did not find any mention of the issue of removal of Union Minister of State for Home, Ajay Mishra Teni, whose son was allegedly involved in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence of October 3.
Agriculture expert Devinder Sharma said, “One cannot disregard the fact that the farmers’ agitation has ensured repeal of the three farm laws. It is akin to the pulling down of the Berlin Wall. Had that not happened, the farmers would have been at the mercy of the corporates. The farmers have pulled down the market edifice.”
Citing examples from the US and Canada where prices of wheat have come down seven times and six times compared to those in 1860s, respectively, he said, “Only 1.5 per cent people are farmers in the US and even those are saddled with bankruptcy to the tune of $425 billion. What our farmers have achieved will have global ramifications. The message is loud and clear that only guaranteed MSP can make it viable.”
To a question whether the committee proposed by the government on MSP and other issues will bring about an acceptable solution given the track record of the government, Sharma said, “We all are keeping our fingers crossed.”
He, however, said, there would be a review meeting of the SKM leaders at Singhu Border again on January 15 to assess if the government has lived up to its words…reports Asian Lite News.
Almost 15 months after the agitation began, triggered by the now-repealed three farm laws, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha on Thursday said they have suspended their protests after positive assurances from the government on their demands, but said a review would be taken on January 15.
“We are happy with the letter from the government. We plan to celebrate our win and return from the campsites at Delhi borders and other locations on December 11,” one of the leaders of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), Yudhvir Singh said.
He, however, said, there would be a review meeting of the SKM leaders at Singhu Border again on January 15 to assess if the government has lived up to its words.
“Our current agitation stands suspended. Battle has been won and the war to ensure farmers’ rights, especially to secure MSP as a legal entitlement for all farmers, will continue,” the SKM statement on the 378th day of the agitation in Delhi said.
Indian Farmers celebrate after formally ending year-long mass protests after Prime Minister Narendra Modi abandoned his push for agricultural reforms in New Delhi at Gazipur border on India December 9, 2021 (photo:Pallav Paliwal)
The farmers wanted to celebrate on Friday itself, however, in view of the solemn occasion of the funeral of Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, who perished in a helicopter crash with 12 others on Wednesday, the celebrations will take place on Saturday, when the farmers return to their homes. The SKM leaders’ meeting started with a two-minute silence to the deceased in the crash.
The letter from the government had been in the making for two days as the farmers demanded additional assurances not mentioned in the earlier two drafts. The current one promises formation of a Committee that will include farmers’ representatives to discuss how to arrive at the minimum support price (MSP) among other demands.
The SKM said, “We dedicate the fabulous and historic victory of the struggle to around 715 martyrs of the movement, including those in Lakhimpur Kheri,” and added, “Farmers’ unity, peace and patience has been the key to the victory, and this will not be allowed to erode in any circumstance. We shall collectively stay alert and ensure that promises are kept.”
Meanwhile, the mood at the Singhu Border camp site on Delhi outskirts was jubilant since morning. On the one hand, hectic activity was going on for winding up the camp site, home to scores of farmers for the last 15 months. And on the other, SKM meeting was going on with eager media persons mingling with the overjoyed farmers.
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), a consortium of 40-odd farmers’ organisations from across India, had spearheaded the agitation from day one. The countdown for ending the agitation had begun on November 19, when the Prime Minister announced to repeal the law, but confusion continued even after Parliament repealed the contentious three laws on November 29 about the exact fate of the agitation.
The President had given his assent to the three Farm Bills on September 27, 2020. The three Bills were Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2020.
The farmers had maintained that repeal of the farm laws was just the primary demand, but there were other demands too and the agitation would not end till those were met. One of the main demands among those unmet then was legal backing for minimum support price, for which the Prime Minister had announced formation of a committee with representatives from the Centre, states, agriculture bodies, farmers, and academicians.
Ahead of these becoming laws and soon after that farmers across the platforms had embarked on agitation, some of them peaceful, some resulting in damage to government property, including the riotous agitation at the Red Fort on January 26 earlier this year. The SKM has claimed loss of lives of more than 600 farmers at various places during the agitation. Hundreds of these farmers — most of them from western Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana under the banner of Samyukt Kisan Morcha — had been camping at various entry points to Delhi.
Varun, earlier, has spoken in support of the agitating farmers and even tweeted a short clip of a speech made by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in support of farmers…writes speaks with Amita Verma.
With his recent statements that are not necessarily in consonance with the BJP, Varun Gandhi is leaving his party leaders guessing.
His latest tweet against Padma Shri awardee Kangana Ranaut –whose statement on Independence has already created a political storm-may has embarrassed the BJP but it has surprisingly won him support from the BJP cadre.
A local BJP leader from Sultanpur, a constituency that he represented in 2014, said, “The Padma Shri award to Kangana Ranaut, in any case, was a major embarrassment for us because of her earlier statements and behaviour. Her Independence statement was rightly snubbed by Varun Gandhi. We fully support him though we may not be able to declare this from the rooftops.”
Varun, earlier, has spoken in support of the agitating farmers and even tweeted a short clip of a speech made by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in support of farmers.
Last month, he was seen taking a stand against the Union Minister of state for home Ajay Misra Teni and his son Ashish Misra whose vehicles allegedly mowed down four protesting farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3.
Varun tweeted a video of the incident and wrote, “The video is crystal clear. Protestors cannot be silenced through murder. There has to be accountability for the innocent blood of farmers that has been spilled and justice must be delivered before a message of arrogance and cruelty enters the minds of every farmer.”
Varun’s statements have not been officially countered by the BJP but the party made its displeasure clear by dropping him from the party’s national executive.
While senior leaders are unable to understand why the youngest Gandhi scion is determined to create trouble, the party cadre is buzzing with speculation about Varun’s next move.
“A Gandhi in the BJP cannot be acceptable beyond a point and Varun’s growth as a political leader has been stunted in the party. I would not be surprised if he moves over to greener pastures in the coming days,” said a senior party leader who had once seen Varun ‘as the leader of tomorrow.’
There has also been talking of Varun moving over to the Congress but he has already dismissed any such possibility.
The Congress workers, however, are secretly thrilled at the very idea of Varun joining the party.
“He is a grassroots leader. We have seen his connect with the party workers in Sultanpur and Pilibhit. He is politically shrewd and adequately aggressive – just what we need to revive the Congress. Most importantly he is not dependent on any coterie in politics,” said a veteran expelled Congress leader.
कभी महात्मा गांधी जी के त्याग और तपस्या का अपमान, कभी उनके हत्यारे का सम्मान, और अब शहीद मंगल पाण्डेय से लेकर रानी लक्ष्मीबाई, भगत सिंह, चंद्रशेखर आज़ाद, नेताजी सुभाष चंद्र बोस और लाखों स्वतंत्रता सेनानियों की कुर्बानियों का तिरस्कार।
Meanwhile, as Varun Gandhi ups the ante with his statements, BJP leaders in Uttar Pradesh are wary of the damage that the party may have to suffer ahead of the state Assembly elections.
As a senior BJP MLA said on condition of anonymity, “There is no doubt that Varun Gandhi is more than just another party MP and his words will undoubtedly have an impact on the people. We are waiting for his next move and also waiting to see the party’s reaction.”
Chautala had then also won from Uchana seat, due to which he resigned from the Ellenabad seat and in the 2010 by-election it was won by Abhay…reports AMARPAL SINGH VERMA
All eyes are on Saturday’s by-elections in Haryana’s Ellenabad constituency, which has emerged as a prestige issue for the three main political parties in the fray – the ruling BJP, the Congress and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD).
The biggest and most emotive issue in the election is the farmers’ agitation sparked by the passage of three contentious farm laws in late 2020. Haryana’s farmers are among those taking an active part in the movement and resentment against the BJP has been brewing ever since.
Whether the saffron party wins or loses Ellenabad will not affect Haryana’s Manohar Lal Khattar government, but the election has become a prestige issue for the BJP, and the state machinery is employing its full force to win the seat. For the Congress and INLD, the by-election has become a question of survival with dignity.
A total of 19 candidates are in the fray, of which 11 are Independents, but the main contest is believed to be between the INLD, Congress and BJP.
Candidates in slugfest
The political atmosphere in the state is already charged.
Among the heavyweights is INLD’s Abhay Singh Chautala, who resigned from the state Assembly early this year in protest against the agricultural laws. Taking on him from the Congress is Pawan Beniwal, while the BJP has fielded Govind Kanda after inducting him into the party.
Traditionally, the Ellenabad seat in Sirsa has been the stronghold of former Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhary Devi Lal. Abhay, his grandson and son of the former chief minister and INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala, was victorious here in the 2019 elections when he defeated Beniwal, then in the BJP.
Abhay’s resignation from the seat is what led to the by-election here. While he is standing again from the INLD, his rival Beniwal switched to the Congress a few days before the announcement of the election date.
All parties campaigned diligently for their candidates from village to village, though flags and banners are not visible due to the fear of the Election Commission. In his rallies, Abhay campaigned against the agricultural laws and alleged scams during the rule of the Khattar government in Haryana, while Beniwal spoke about the lack of development in the state. BJP’s Kanda assured the electorate of all-around progress.
Former CM Chautala is not leaving any stone unturned for the victory of son Abhay. He is visiting dozens of villages every day seeking support. On the other hand, the entire Haryana government is working to take BJP candidate Kanda to the finish line. State BJP president Om Prakash Dhankar, all ministers, MLAs, and chairmen of Khattar government corporations and boards are scouring the villages of Ellenabad in their bid for victory.
In the Congress, leaders including state president Kumari Selja and former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, are making efforts to ensure a win.
Odds of victory
All three candidates have their pros and cons.
The Ellenabad seat has long been dominated by the Chautala family, and in 11 of 15 previous elections, a member of the family or a candidate of their choice has won.
In the 1970 by-election here, Om Prakash Chautala became the MLA. From 1977 to 2005, the seat was reserved for the Scheduled Castes. In this time, Bhagiram, who was close to the Devi Lal family, won from here five times. After delimitation in 2009, the seat was declared for the general category, after which Chautala senior became the MLA.
Chautala had then also won from Uchana seat, due to which he resigned from the Ellenabad seat and in the 2010 by-election it was won by Abhay.
In 2014 and 2019, Abhay won again by defeating Beniwal. Now Abhay is in the fray here for the fourth time and is confident of the support of the farmers and Jats who are agitating against the BJP government.
Yet, the challenges before him are no less.
By winning from Ellenabad in 2019, Abhay was able to register his presence as the lone MLA of INLD in the 90-member Haryana Assembly, all thanks to infighting in the Chautala family.
One of Abhay’s rivals has turned out to be his own nephew, Dushyant Chautala, son of Omprakash Chautala’s elder son Ajay. Dushyant is currently the deputy chief minister of Haryana – a post he got by forming a joint government with the BJP on the strength of ten MLAs from his Jannayak Janata Party.
Abhay has to thus face not only the Congress-BJP candidates but also the supporters of his nephew, a participant in the rival Khattar government. If Abhay wins, then it will give new strength to INLD in Haryana, but in case of defeat, the future of the party will be in question.
There are also strengths and weaknesses associated with Congress’s Pawan Beniwal.
In Ellenabad, Beniwal’s uncle, former MLA Bharat Beniwal, had been contesting elections on a Congress ticket. But this time the party gave his ticket to the nephew – which did not go down well with Bharat. The Congress high command has so far persuaded Bharat to remain in the party fold, but fears of rebellion remain.
On the pro side, Pawan Beniwal’s biggest advantage is that he is a Jat and the Congress is banking on him to get votes from the farmers as well as the Jats. The majority of Ellenabad’s nearly 2 lakh voters stay in villages and according to estimates, 37 per cent of voters are from the Jat community, with Jat Sikhs making up 7 per cent of the voters.
BJP on backfoot
The BJP in Ellenabad is facing the displeasure of farmers, who threw out party candidate Kanda and other leaders from the local gurdwara. Even in villages, farmers are raising slogans against the party. The United Kisan Morcha has taken out a Kalash Yatra with the ashes of the farmers killed in Lakhimpur Kheri to different villages in Ellenabad. So the farmers are leaving no stone unturned to make BJP’s path to victory here difficult.
The majority of Jat votes are likely to be divided between Abhay and Beniwal. In such a situation, the BJP is trying hard to get its candidate to win by mobilising non-Jat voters. Govind’s elder brother Gopal Kanda, former Minister of State for Home in Haryana, has also jumped on the campaign ground with full strength.
Palaram Jat, a farmer from Dholpaliya village, admitted to the impact of the farmer agitation on the Ellenabad election. In this case, Abhay has an upper hand as he resigned from the Assembly in protest against the agricultural laws.
Sen said that the problem started when the base rate of the acquired land did not match the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013…reports Probir Pramanik
A motorcade travels on a dusty road flanked by lush paddy fields towards Chengpara village in the Alipurduar district of West Bengal. Officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), local police officers and district administration officials disembark from the vehicle. They scope the area and depart as abruptly as they came.
The villager, Sabita Roy (50), claimed that the officials often intimidate them through such visits. They want Chengpara’s farmers to accept the compensation given by NHAI for their land that was purchased to construct a highway.
Chengpara, a village dominated by the ethnic Rajbanshi community, is among the five mouzas or Panchayats involved in a legal wrangle with NHAI over land acquisition for the highway. The four other mouzas include Salsalabari, Bhelukdabari, Chaparerpara and Sovaganj.
The NHAI has acquired 170 hectares of land for the extension of a 41 km four-lane highway between Falakata and Salsalabari in the Alipurduar district. It is a part of the east-west corridor of the Golden Quadrilateral connecting Surat in Gujarat to Silchar in Assam. It passes through West Bengal’s rice, jute, and potato fields.
The highways authority started acquiring land for the Rs 1,030-crore project in January 2019. However, the farmers have obtained a stay order on the work from the Jalpaiguri circuit bench of the Calcutta High Court. They claimed they have not received the whole compensation promised by the NHAI.
NHAI has claimed to have disbursed Rs 154 crore Rs 1.20 crore for every 0.1 acre for 22.14 acres of land. But farmers claim to have received only 54 crores. Rs 100 crores are unaccounted for.
Compensation does not tally
About 500 farmers who have given up their land said that the compensation received from NHAI does not tally with a list published by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in a Bengali daily in November 2020.
“The land acquisition process by NHAI has been faulty since the beginning,” said Niladri Sen, the counsel of farmer Sabita Roy, who is yet to receive Rs 6 lakh approximately from the government.
Sen said that the problem started when the base rate of the acquired land did not match the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013.
“The affected farmers received an amount lesser than what they should have received. The compensation that was transferred electronically to the bank accounts of the farmers did not mention what the amount was being paid for,” he said, adding: “When we tallied the bank passbooks, we found that the compensation amounts did not tally with the list published by the Central government.”
Imposters in the fray
According to the secretary of the Krishi Bastu Sangram Committee, Ratan Roy, several people have been compensated by the government for land that they do not own in any of the mouzas.
Some farmers claimed that “imposters” have bagged the bulk of compensation released by the NHAI.
Such is the case of Sabita Roy whose third tranche of compensation was paid to her impersonator’s account in the State Bank of India in Assam’s Bongaigaon. Roy, who has received Rs 11.01 lakh compensation in her bank in Alipurduras in two tranches said that she was awaiting her third payment of more than Rs 6 lakh.
“I have never been to Bangaigaon, let alone open a bank account in the neighbouring state,” she said. “I learned that Rs 5.67 lakh was withdrawn from the said account in Assam by one Sukumar Karmakar, who posed as my father, showing that I was dead.”
She said that she was not against giving her land to NHAI, but she expected the government to compensate her fairly.
Roy challenged the disbursement claim made by the ministry by filing a writ petition before the Jalpaiguri circuit bench of the Calcutta High Court on August 5, 2021.
The ministry, however, claimed that Sabita Roy was compensated with Rs 17.72 lakh with the third tranche of her payment amounting to Rs 5.67 lakh reaching her on September 24, 2020.
Sabita Roy lodged a complaint before the Kotwali police station, but to no avail. She then lodged a written complaint before the Bengal police chief and the Alipurduar district police.
Pinaki Sengupta, the special land acquisition officer and competent authority at the Jalpaiguri district magistrate’s office, directed the Kotwali police to investigate allegations of discrepancy in compensation to Sabita Roy.
On September 30, the single bench of the Jalpaiguri bench of the Calcutta High Court directed officials to measure Sabita Roy’s land on October 2, 2021, including building and structure, and assess the compensation she is entitled to according to the rules.
Seven others and two farmers groups also filed a writ petition before the Jalpaiguri bench of the Calcutta High Court. The NHAI pleaded for adjournment, which the court refused and set the next date of hearing on November 29, 2021.
Krishi Bastu Sangram Committee secretary Ratan Roy said that his mother, Binodini Roy, had received an arbitration notification, saying her land was acquired. But, there were no signs of compensation.
Binodini Roy also filed an individual writ petition before Jalpaiguri circuit bench of the Calcutta High Court.
Allegations of bribery and intimidation
Some farmers claimed they were coerced to give kickbacks’ between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 5 lakh to the government officials through brokers to receive the compensation.
“I was forced to pay a bribe of Rs 1 lakh to Ratan Mandal a technical assistant with the Jalpaiguri land reforms office to get Rs 8 lakh compensation,” alleged Champarani Sarkar (45) who lost 0.8 acres of land to NHAI’s project.
Another farmer Subal Roy said he had to pay a bribe of Rs 5 lakh to the village panchayat head to get compensation for his father’s 0.23 acres of land acquired by the NHAI.
The entire compensation package for the five mouzas in Alipurduars Block-II, has been disbursed by the district treasury office, according to Sanjeev Kumar Sharma general manager and project director of NHAI.
“We disbursed Rs 154 crore through the Jalpaiguri district magistrate’s land acquisition section,” an official, who did not wish to be named, said.
The NHAI has asked aggrieved farmers to contact the special land acquisition officer in Jalpaiguri for matters related to compensation.
“Those who have given their land to NHAI have been compensated as per the arbitral base rates. Only a handful of people in Chengpara are creating trouble by stalling the work on the project,” Sharma said.
“The land is damaged, when they return the land to us for rice planting, yields are down and of lesser quality,” a farmer informed…reports Asian Lite News
Farmers in Laos have urged the local government authorities not to lease lands to the Chinese farmers during the off-season of rice paddies in the country.
This came as the NAMPheung company has been leasing at least 180 hectares of land in Ngeun district to the Chinese farmers who grow watermelons on this land from December to April and then returns it to the villagers before the rice-planting season, Radio Free Asia reported.
“The land is damaged, when they return the land to us for rice planting, yields are down and of lesser quality,” a farmer informed.
“The Chinese investors dig into the land so deep so the farmers have to fill up the land before planting. It’s a waste of money labour and time,” the villager said, adding that the villagers don’t want to lease the lands to the Chinese people.
Meanwhile, the villager also informed that labourers in other provinces who work on Chinese melon farms have reported that Chinese company workers sometimes steal villagers’ property, including livestock, and that they relieve themselves wherever they happen to be because so many farms are located far from toilets, Radio Free Asia reported.
Besides, the Chinese farmers are also leasing land in three more districts in Laos.
China slams Abbott’s Taiwan visit
China on Saturday hit out at former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott over his visit to Taiwan and issued a strong statement against him.
The development comes after Abbott, who is the Special Envoy for Indigenous Affairs of Australia, visited Taiwan last week and met President Tsai Ing-wen along with other government officials, Taiwan News reported.
In response to Abbott’s visit, the Chinese embassy in Canberra posted a statement on their website, saying, “Tony Abbot is a failed and pitiful politician,” Taiwan News reported.
The statement also said that “His [Abbott’s] recent despicable and insane performance in Taiwan fully exposed his hideous anti-China features” and added that Abbott’s recent visit will further discredit him.
Speaking at a regional conference in Taipei, Abbott had addressed the full suite of concerns facing the international community in its relations with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Taiwan News reported.
“It’s boosted cyber spying on its own citizens, cancelled popular personalities in favour of a cult of the red emperor, brutalized Indian soldiers in the Himalayas, coerced other claimants in its eastern seas and flown ever more intimidatory sorties against Taiwan,” said Abbott as reported by news agencies.
Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades.
Taipei, on the other hand, has countered the Chinese aggression by increasing strategic ties with democracies including the US, which has been repeatedly opposed by Beijing. China has threatened that “Taiwan’s independence” means war.
On June 1, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to complete reunification with self-ruled Taiwan and vowed to smash any attempts at formal independence for the island. (ANI)
The death toll in Sunday’s violence has gone up to eight and the BJP claimed that the deceased included one driver and three BJP workers…reports Asian Lite News.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been arrested from Hargaon in Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur district while she was on her way to Lakhimpur Kheri where violence had claimed eight lives on Sunday.
Other opposition leaders are also being stopped from proceeding towards Lakhimpur Kheri after Sunday’s incident, where the death toll has gone up to eight.
Priyanka Gandhi’s convoy was stopped in Lucknow and the police surrounded the Kaul House where she stays during her Lucknow visits.
However, Priyanka managed to hoodwink the cops and walked out of her residence form the side gate and after a short distance, she got into a waiting car and left for Lakhimpur Kheri with Congress leader Deependra Singh Hooda at the wheel.
As soon as Priyanka reached Hargaon in Sitapur district around 6.a.m on Monday, she was stopped. After a minor scuffle with women constable, Priyanka demanded to see her arrest warrant. The police personnel took her into custody and she was taken to the PAC office in the district.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, “I am not committing a crime by stepping out of the house. I just want to meet the affected families and share their grief. What wrong am I committing? And if I have done something wrong, then you (UP Police) should have an order, a warrant. You (UP Police) are stopping me, my car, but for what reason?”
Congress leaders who were accompanying Priyanka created a ruckus and staged a dharna to protest against her arrest.
UPCC president Ajay Kumar Lallu said that the arrest of Priyanka proved again that there was no democracy left in the political system.
“We are well within out rights to protest and we are not going to be cowed down by such repressive measures,” he said.
The death toll in Sunday’s violence has gone up to eight and the BJP claimed that the deceased included one driver and three BJP workers.
Bahujan Samaj Party MP Satish Chandra Mishra was not allowed to move out of his house in Lucknow at 3 a.m. when he tried to move towards Lakhimpur Kheri. Mishra demanded a written order which prevents him from moving out of his house.
The BSP general secretary, said, “We want to visit Lakhimpur Kheri. We are not being allowed to move citing law and order disturbance there. We demand written order if they want to house arrest us.”
The Uttar Pradesh police tweeted that the situation in Lakhimpur Kheri was under control and adequate deployment of forces had been done to prevent any ‘untoward incident’.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said in a statement issued late on Sunday night that he was ‘saddened’ by the violence in his state that left eight people, including four farmers, dead.
He promised strict action against those responsible following an investigation and made an appeal to maintain peace.
BKU leader Rakesh Tikait’s convoy was also stopped on its way to Lakhimpur Kheri. He had reached Puranpur in Pilibhit district.
Tikait said that he will hold a press conference later in the day.
He said BKU would stage demonstrations at all district headquarters on Monday to protest against the Sunday’s incidents.
Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Ravan’s convoy was stopped near Khairabad in Sitapur. He has been detained at Sitapur police line.
Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh was stopped in Sitapur on his way to Lakhimpur Kheri on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday. He was stopped during checking of vehicles in Laharpur area of the district.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhary and former minister, Om Prakash Rajbhar, are scheduled to leave for Lakhimpur Kheri on Monday. A heavy police force has been deployed outside their respective residences.
A senior police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “We are not going to allow any political leader to go to Lakhimpur Kheri and worsen the situation. We are trying our best to defuse tension and normalize the situation. We cannot allow some leaders to derive political mileage at the cost of the situation.”
In another major development, union minister of state for home, Ajay Mishra Teni, whose earlier statement apparently triggered off trouble on Sunday, said that his son Ashish Mishra Monu was not present at the site where the violence took place.
The farmers had alleged that Monu had mowed down farmers while driving his SUV.
The police have taken Ashish Mishra to a safe house to ensure his safety and security.
The federated farmers’ database will be linked to the land records of the farmers from across the country and a unique Farmer ID will be created, the release said…reports Asian Lite News.
The Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare on Tuesday signed MoUs for pilot projects with CISCO, Ninjacart, Jio Platforms Limited, ITC Limited and NCDEX e-Markets Limited (NeML) for running pilots for various digital services for farmers.
Based on these pilot projects, the farmers will be able to take informed decisions on what crop to grow, what variety of seed to use and what best practices to adopt to maximise the yield. The agriculture supply chain players can plan their procurement and logistics on precise and timely information while the farmers can take informed decisions about whether to sell or store their produce and when and where and what price to sell, a release from the Ministry of Agriculture said.
“Modernisation of the agriculture sector will continue by infusing new technologies so that farmers can increase their income,” Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said at the MoU signing ceremony held at Krishi Bhavan, the ministry headquarters.
A ‘Digital Agriculture Mission’ has been initiated for 2021-2025 by the government for projects based on new technologies like artificial intelligence, block chain, remote sensing, GIS technology, use of drones and robots etc.
Establishing a digital ecosystem for agriculture needs to take a long-term view of aspects like interoperability, data governance, data quality, data standards, security and privacy, besides promoting innovation. A significant requirement is adoption of a decentralised, federated architecture that assures autonomy to the service providers and all other actors and ensures interoperability at the same time.
Recognising the importance of digitisation in agriculture, the Department is creating a federated ‘Farmers Database’ and building different services around this database, so as to build a ‘Digital Ecosystems of Agriculture’.
Kashmiri farmers carrying baskets of Strawberries inside their farm during corona curfew , on the outskirts in Srinagar, Kashmir India (Pic from Umar Ganie)
The federated farmers’ database will be linked to the land records of the farmers from across the country and a unique Farmer ID will be created, the release said.
Under this unified database for the farmers, the information of all benefits and supports of various schemes of Central and state governments can be kept and this can be the source for accessing information for providing benefits to the farmers in the future. So far, the database is ready with details of around 5.5 crore farmers.
Union Ministers of State for Agriculture, Kailash Chaudhary, Shobha Karandlaje along with other senior officials were present in the event.
Kurubur Shanthakumar, the President of the association on Saturday said, members of his federation have also extended support for the bandh call…reports Asian Lite News
Members of Karnataka Farmer Organisations Federation and State Sugarcane Growers Association have extended their support to the nationwide bandh call given by Samyukta Kisan Morcha on September 27 protesting against the Union government’s controversial farms laws.
Kurubur Shanthakumar, the President of the association on Saturday said, members of his federation have also extended support for the bandh call. He urged the pro-farmer political parties who are against these laws to openly express support to farm organizations, and to take part during this protest. Farmers in all taluks, district level, and prominent hobli towns will hit the streets on the day supporting the Samyukta Kisan Morcha.
He condemned the stubborn attitude of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not withdrawing anti-farmer laws despite the members of Samyukta Kisan Morcha comprising 500 farmer organizations had been staging a nine month long protest at Delhi- Haryana -Ghazipur borders.
As RSS supported Bharatiya Kisan Morcha activists too held nationwide protests against these farm laws, the union government must withdraw these laws. Shanthakumar also lashed out at Union minister of state for agriculture Shobha Karandlaje for not responding to the woes of farmers.
He also demanded the government to direct all lead banks to stop harassment meted out to farmers during the loan recovery process despite the fact that the RBI has not made mandatory to collect no objection certificate and not pledging properties to borrow the loan up to Rs 2 lakh, as several banks have demanded the loan borrowing farmers to pledge their properties besides harassing them.
Karnal standoff ends
Bharatiya Kisan Union President Gurnam Singh Chaduni and Haryana Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Devender Singh on Saturday announced to conclude the week-long agitation in Karnal.
The decision was announced at a joint press conference after the first round of talks between farmers union leaders and the Haryana government representative.
ACS Singh said that “after several round of talks with farmers leaders we have reached up to an agreement considering farmers demands”. He said that state government will set up an inquiry committee of retired High Court judges to probe against SDM Ayush Sinha.
Meanwhile, during the probe, which will be completed within a month, he will be sent on leave.
Talking about other demands, the ACS said that two members of a farmer family who died in the unfortunate incident will be given jobs of the sanction posts on DC rate. He said that chances are high to turn these posts permanent.
Meanwhile, Chaduni said in the press conference that the talks ended on a positive note and they were happy that the government has considered their demands. He added that jobs will be provided to the two family members of the family within a week.
However, being asked about one of the other major demands of registering an FIR against Sinha, he said filing a complaint after the probe by the retired judges will give more strength to the case. On ending the agitation, Chaduni said that “we are satisfied with the outcomes and this is our victory”, adding that the protest against the new farm laws will continue as usual on the Delhi border and across the nation.
