Khali said it will be tough for the Centre to deal with the farmers
Professional wrestler Dalip Singh Rana aka The Great Khali has become the latest star from the entertainment world to have backed thousands of farmers from Punjab and Haryana, who have been camping in and around Delhi to press for their demand of repealing the Centre's farm laws. In a video statement on the social media website Instagram, Mr Rana appealed to people of the country to support the agitating farmers.
"They will buy it (crop) for Rs 2 and sell it for Rs 200. The laws will also harm daily wage workers, roadside vendors; the common man will suffer. I will appeal to everyone to support the farmers so that the Centre is forced to accept their demands," he said in Hindi.
"It will be tough for the Centre to deal with the farmers from Haryana and Punjab," he added.
Several Punjabi singers and actors, including Sidhu Moosewala and Babbu Maan, have supported the farmers' protest. Singers Kanwar Grewal and Harf Cheema have joined the protests at Delhi border. Singer Jasbir Jassi, who is very popular in the entire northern India, has also lent his support to the agitation.
Thousands of farmers from Punjab marched to Delhi last week, braving watercannons, tear gas and lathicharges on the way. The central government, which looks after the national capital's law and order, didn't allow them to enter at first; later, it said the protests must be moved to a location in outer Delhi's Burari.
Most of the agitating farmers, however, have refused to shift the protests to the government-designated venue and are camping at Delhi borders hindering traffic movement.
Representatives of the agitating farmers met Union ministers Narendra Tomar and Piyush Goyal on Tuesday but the deadlock couldn't be resolved. The farmers dismissed the Centre's offer of forming a panel to look into their demands vis-à-vis the three farm laws. The next round of meeting is scheduled on Thursday.
The Centre claims the new farm laws, by allowing farmers to sell their crops outside the designated markets, will eliminate middlemen. The farmers, however, fear that the laws will be make them susceptible to exploitation from the mighty corporate houses.