Left stages rasta roko seeking repeal of draconian agri laws

Nalgonda/Bhongir: On a clarion call given by the farmers protesting in Delhi, the farmer organisations associated with Left parties, CPI and CPM, staged a rasta roko on Narketpally-Addanki highway at Cherlapally in Nalgonda district on Saturday and demanded the Centre to repeal the new farm laws unconditionally in the interest of farmers.

Speaking on the occasion, CPM and CPI district secretaries Mudireddy Sudhakar Reddy and Nellikanti Satyam said that the BJP-led Central government was detaining farmers and it was a "shame on part of the Centre for fixing iron nails on roads on Delhi border, digging up roads and erecting barricades to dilute the agitation in a fascist way."

Adding that no such action was ever taken even at the country's line of control, they said the Narendra Modi government was trying to gain from multinational companies by trading farmers and their lives to them.

Stating that the agitation was gaining a positive response across the globe, the Left parties leaders stated that seeing the response, the BJP and the Sangh Pariwar were spreading false propaganda on the movement. They recalled that many intellectuals had been charged with false cases for supporting farmers on their genuine demands.

They accused the Centre of neglecting the agricultural sector in the recent budget and expressed concern that increase in crop input and no Minimum Support Price would push the farmers into troubles.

"The government is adamant about holding talks with farmers," they said, appreciating the farmers for putting up their fight even in the Delhi's extreme cold. They said it was ridiculous for the State government to announce the lifting of paddy purchasing centres in Telangana and recalled the statements of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao who announced that the State government was not ready to buy the crops.

They called upon the local farmers to continue the movement to maintain IKP centres by the State government, and demanded the Centre to pass a resolution in the ongoing Parliamentary session to repeal the "draconian" agricultural laws,

Meanwhile, the police arrested the protestors and shifted them to local police station to clear the traffic on the highway. Many Left party leaders took part in the protest.

Similarly, the farmers under the leadership of opposition parties including Congress, CPI and CPM conducted a rasta roko on Hyderabad-Vijayawada and Hyderabad–Warangal national highways passing through erstwhile Nalgonda district in support of agitating farmers in Delhi.