Stand with 62 crore farmers: Congress

New Delhi: The Congress on Friday made an appeal to the people to join the farmers’ agitation and oppose the Farm Bills, which have been passed by Parliament.

Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said, “Nation should stand with 62 crore farmers who are protesting against the draconian law.”

He alleged that the Prime Minister has done this to help the crony capitalists, and “he does not care for the poor”.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said in a tweet, “This is to make farmers slaves and the farmers will become labourers in their fields and neither they will get the MSP nor respect.”

While cutting across the party lines, day long statewide protests by farmers in Punjab and Haryana began on Friday morning.

Heavy police force has been deployed in both the states to deal with any untoward situation.

Even shopkeepers in most of the major towns in both the states shut their shops expressing solidarity with the farmers.

In a first-of-its-kind show of solidarity, 31 farmer organisations in Punjab announced a joint protest.

Several trains have been suspended since Thursday as farmers began a three-day ‘rail roko’ campaign against the Bills.

The Ferozepur Railway division decided to suspend the operation of special trains till September 26 in view of the safety of passengers, a rail official told IANS.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has appealed to all political parties to rise above “petty considerations” and come on one platform to fight unitedly against the “treacherous” Bills that would destroy the state’s farmers.

(IANS)