Kejriwal tears copies of Centre's farm laws

New Delhi: The Delhi Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution against the Centre's three new agriculture laws with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tearing up their copies, saying he cannot betray the farmers of the country.

Addressing the Delhi Assembly, the chief minister alleged the laws have been made for "electoral funding of the BJP and not the farmers". "I am pained that I have to do this. I did not intend to, but I cannot betray the farmers of my country who have been sleeping on the streets in the cold… when the temperature is just 2 degrees Celsius," Kejriwal said, while tearing up the copies of the three laws. "I am a citizen of this country first, a chief minister later. This assembly rejects the three laws and appeals to the central government to meet the demands of the farmers," he said.

Kejriwal further said 20 protesting farmers have died so far and asked the Centre when it will "wake up". He said the Centre should not be under the impression that the farmers camping at the protest sites will simply return to their homes, adding that in 1907, a farmers' protest continued for nine months till the British rulers repealed some laws.