Farm bills protests: Delhi Police detain Youth Congress president, workers on march to Parliament

The Delhi Police on Tuesday detained members of the Youth Congress who were on a march to the Parliament in protest against the Centre’s farm bills. The Indian Youth Congress confirmed that its president Srinivas BV had been detained by the police.

Srinivas was “detained by the police for seeking from the government, protection of farmers’ rights and accountability for the economic disasters that led to the highest unemployment rate”, the Youth Congress said. “The BJP govt fears those who question them!”

“Modi government’s state sponsored violence cannot stop Youth Congress from fighting for farmers and youth of the country,” the organisation said in another tweet. “The BJP government plans to destroy the future of our nation and turn our farmers into beggars with the anti-India anti-farmer bills passed.”

During the protest march, Srinivas BV said the bills would make farmers dependent on corporate houses, and were also against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s idea of an “Atma Nirbhar Bharat” (self-reliant India), PTI reported. “The Prime Minister talks about ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ but the farm Bills of his government will make the farmers dependent on corporate houses of Ambanis and Adanis,” he said.

Indian Youth Congress media head Rahul Rao said the protest march began from the organisation’s headquarters on Raisina Road and was stopped near Shastri Bhawan on RP Road. He added that the police detained Srinivas and some other Youth Congress workers when they tried to cross the barricade. Some of those detained were taken to Mandir Marg police station, he said.

Meanwhile, members of the Trinamool Congress women’s wing staged a sit-in demonstration in Kolkata on Tuesday, PTI reported. Around 100 party workers protested near the Mahatma Gandhi statue on Mayo Road with empty plates, on which slogans such as “krishokder jonyo lorchi lorbo” (will continue to fight for the farmers) were written.

“These two bills reveal the true intent of the Modi government,” Trinamool Congress Women’s Wing President Chandrima Bhattacharya said. “They are opening the farm sector to the big corporations, which will break the backbone of the ordinary farmers. We won’t let that happen.”

On Tuesday, Opposition parties boycotted the Lok Sabha session to protest against the suspension of MPs in the Rajya Sabha. Earlier in the day, Congress and other parties boycotted the Rajya Sabha session too. The members, who were suspended for their “unruly behaviour”, continued their sit-in on the lawns of the Parliament complex till 11.30 am.

On Sunday, two contentious farm ordinances, which the government claims are meant to liberalise the sector by opening it up to private players, were passed by a voice vote – not a division of votes – even though the Congress, Trinamool Congress and others made a demand for the same to the deputy chairperson. The members of opposition parties protested against this and called it a “murder of democracy”. In the middle, the audio telecast of the live proceedings was briefly muted.

After opposition leaders were prevented from speaking in Parliament, the politicians climbed atop tables, snatched the rule book, flung documents in the air and tried to take away the deputy chairman’s microphone to lodge their protest. Eight MPs were suspended from the House on Monday.

While the Opposition said the “anti-farmer” bills were passed in an undemocratic manner, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party accused them of disrupting parliamentary proceedings. But neither the Centre nor the Rajya Sabha chairperson and his deputy have offered an explanation as to why a division vote was not allowed on the farm bills, despite the fact that several parties were opposed to the bills.

Farmers and traders have also been vehemently opposing the new bills, alleging the government wants to discontinue the minimum support price regime in the name of reforms. They fear that the bills would bring about corporate dominance in agriculture.