Arvind Kejriwal To Meet Protesting Farmer Leaders Tomorrow

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will tomorrow meet leaders of farmer unions protesting against three central laws, officials have said. He will discuss matters related to the new pieces of legislation, among other things, they said. The meeting comes days after the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) poor performance in the Punjab urban body polls that was swept by the Congress. Farmers of the state have been at the forefront of the three-month-long agitation.

Mr Kejriwal will meet the farmer leaders on the Delhi assembly premises, officials told NDTV. His Aam Admi Party (AAP) has been a strong supporter of the protest that has seen thousands from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and other states park themselves at various points along Delhi's border.

A perpetual critic of the Congress, AAP had also hit out at Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's government in Punjab for its handling of the agitation. Yet, the ruling party swept all municipal corporations and most other urban bodies in the elections whose results were declared earlier this week. The outcome of the election was viewed as reflecting the farmers' mood in the context of the agitation.

The protesters have demanded the withdrawal of the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

These were passed by Parliament in September 2020.

Mr Kejriwal has met the protesters multiple times over the past three months, each time assuring his support. His administration has also facilitated basic amenities like water supply at the various protest sites. It has, meanwhile, criticised the police for throwing up hurdles in its efforts to help the protesters.