"Farmers Angry, Better Reconsider Farm Laws": Mayawati Tells Centre

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati today asked the Central government to take a relook at the newly legislated farm laws that have sparked a furore among the country's farmers.

"Farmers across the country are furious and agitated over the three agriculture-related laws that the central government recently brought in. Keeping this in view, it would be better if the Union government does a rethink on these laws that were legislated without the farmers' consent," Mayawati tweeted today.

Other political leaders, too, commented about the need to have discussed the new laws with farmers. For instance, Samajwadi Party chief, Akhilesh Yadav, accused the Centre of seeking to mortgage the country to the rich, according to a PTI report.

"Insulting farmers by calling them terrorists is the worst face of the BJP. The BJP, which favours the rich, is conspiring to mortgage farms, farming, small business, trading, roads, transportation and everything else to the rich," he said in a Hindi tweet. "If farmers are terrorists for the BJP, the BJP leaders and workers should pledge not to consume the food grown by them."

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh tweeted in Hindi saying such a crisis would not have occured if the government had taken the farmers in confidence.

"If Modi ji had discussed with the farmers before bring in the anti-farmers laws, why would such a situation have arisen? Modi ji must withdraw all three anti-farmer laws and after discussing with the farmers send them to a parliamentary committee for a relook," Mr Singh said.

These comments come even as farmers continued to protest even hours after Union Home Minister Amit Shah reportedly said the Centre was ready to hold talks ahead of the scheduled December 3.

"If farmers' unions want to hold discussions before December 3 then, I want to assure you all, that as soon as you shift your protest to the structured place, the government will hold talks to address your concerns the very next day," he had reportedly said.

The Delhi administration has allotted the farmers the Burari ground to protest. While some shifted there on Saturday, thousands of others are demanding to enter the heart of the city.

These farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, embarked on the "Dilli Chalo" march to protest against the three new farm laws.