Robert Besser
23 Feb 2021, 19:32 GMT+10
In a massive show of strength to protest three farm laws, more than 100,000 farmers and agricultural laborers gathered in the Indian state of Punjab on February 21 and vowed to intensify their protests by mobilizing more supporters outside the nation's capital New Delhi later this month.
The rally, held at a grain market in Punjab's Barnala town, drew crowds of between 120,000 and 130,000 supporters, according to local police estimates.
The rally, which was also attended by thousands of women, was among the largest mobilizations against the farm laws, introduced in September last year by the Narendra Modi-led government to deregulate the sale of crops.
Thousands of farmers have been camping at several border points around Delhi for nearly three months to demand a repeal of the laws, which they say are pro-corporate and will hurt the interests of farmers.
"We came here to make Punjab's farmers aware of the movement in Delhi. We came to tell them what's happening there and what will happen next," prominent farmer leader Joginder Ugrahan told Reuters.
During the rally in Barnala, union leaders announced plans to amass supporters across Punjab and move to a protest site outside New Delhi on February 27.
"Our objective is that the black laws enacted by the Modi government are repealed," Baljinder Singh, a 52-year-old farmer, told Reuters.
Meanwhile, in the Indian capital, a senior official from Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party accused the opposition parties, which have been backing the farmers' protests, of trying to stoke unrest.
The Indian government is open for further talks, he said.
The Narendra Modi government, which is refusing to roll back the laws, has offered to defer them instead. The laws have been enacted to help the farmers receive better prices for crops, the government has argued.
There have been several rounds of negotiations between the government and the farmers, but they have failed to break the impasse, with farmers' unions saying they will continue their protests until the laws are repealed.
Get a daily dose of Canada Standard news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Canada Standard.
More InformationAUSTIN, Texas: Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that beginning next week face masks will no longer be needed to be ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: President Joe Biden says he expects there to be enough vaccinations for all Americans by the end of ...
HOLTVILLE, California: An overloaded SUV carrying as many as 25 passengers slammed into a semi-truck in California on Monday, killing ...
ALBANY, New York: New York's new coronavirus-period dance rules will allow some dancing at parties. The state said that when ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: Looking beyond the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, President Joe Biden and other lawmakers are establishing the foundations ...
WASHINGTON DC - To boost vaccination rates among minorities, particularly Black and brown Americans, senior Biden administration officials say the ...
Liverpool [UK], March 5 (ANI): Disappointed after being beaten by Chelsea in the Premier League, Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold said the ...
New Delhi [India], March 5 (ANI): At a virtual conference organised on Friday by the Conference of Indian Industry, the ...
Pep Guardiola admitted he did not recognise his Manchester City team before a return to their "ABC" principles kick-started their ...
By Ankur SharmaNew Delhi [India], March 5 (ANI): Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has decided to strengthen its team of Wushu ...
Turin [Italy], March 5 (ANI): Italian club Juventus has announced that Rodrigo Bentancur has tested positive for coronavirus. The club ...
Wellington [New Zealand], March 5 (ANI): New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee has been reprimanded for breaching Level 1 of ...