Farmers protest in India intensify — Kerala MP and Punjab CM to move the Supreme Court, three Punjab BJP leaders resign

• Around 15-20 people set a tractor on fire at India Gate on Monday morning following protests by farmers and opposition parties across the country.
  
• Farmers across the country — in Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Delhi — have been blocking highways, restricting access to rail and other transport to raise their voice against the agricultural-related laws.
  
• These laws allow farmers to sell their produce to private players outside the market set up by the government.
  
• Thousands of farmers in Karnataka have called for a day-long shutdown to protest the amendments.
  

The farmers’ protest against the agricultural-related bills — which has now become a law — has intensified across the country. A Congress MP from Kerala moved the Supreme Court on Monday, challenging the constitutional validity of various provisions of the contentious new farm Act.

TN Prathapan, who represents Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala, has alleged that the Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 is violative of Article 14 (right to equality), 15 (prohibition of discrimination) and 21 (right to life and liberty) of the Constitution.

Meanwhile, Punjab CM Amrinder Singh — who has been supporting farmers since the beginning — has decided to move the Supreme Court as well.

Whereas, three BJP leaders — Kikar Singh Kutbewal, Charandeep Singh, Angrej Singh Mintu — have decided to quit.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that the agriculture-related laws are a "death sentence" for farmers whose voice has been crushed both inside and outside Parliament.

Thousands of farmers have been raising their concerns against the three farm bills. Fresh violent protests erupted in New Delhi a day after President Ram Nath Kovind approved the three farm bills.

Around 15-20 people set a tractor on fire at India Gate on Monday morning following protests by farmers and opposition parties across the country over the contentious farm legislations that were passed by the Parliament last week. The fire was doused, and the tractor removed. The police have reportedly arrested five people in the matter.



Protests across rest of India
Farmers across the country — in Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Delhi — have been blocking highways, restricting access to rail and other transport to raise their voice against the agricultural-related laws. Protesters are also said to have reportedly burned effigies of political leaders who support these bills.

These laws allow farmers to sell their produce to private players outside the market set up by the government. Before the law, farmers weren’t allowed to sell their produce outside an Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC).

PM Narendra Modi has insisted in his latest Mann ki Baat that these laws will allow farmers to fetch a good price for their produce. However, farmers believe the laws remove the provision of the minimum support price, which gives an edge to a private player.

The Punjab Youth Congress staged a protest — and live-streamed the protest on their official Facebook page — against the Central government this morning.


They said they are here to protest against the ‘black laws’ brought by the government for farmers of the country and are supported by the Amrinder Singh government in Punjab.

Thousands of farmers in Karnataka called for a day-long shutdown to protest the amendments.

The dawn-to-dusk bandh call has been supported by several pro-Kannada and other outfits besides the opposition Congress and the JD(S), who had opposed the amendment bills in the assembly.

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