Rahul Gandhi to Meet Farmer Leaders Amid New Protests for MSP Guarantee
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress leader, will meet a delegation of seven farmer leaders on Wednesday at around 11 am in the Parliament. The farmer leaders will ask him to bring a private member bill to fulfill their long-standing demands.
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha leaders announced on Monday that they would burn effigies of the Modi government nationwide and launch a fresh protest to legalize the MSP guarantee. They will also stage a ‘long march’ to support the private bills by the opposition.
As part of the protest, farmers will take out a tractor rally nationwide on August 15, Independence Day, and burn copies of new criminal laws. The farmers’ ‘Delhi Chalo’ march will complete 200 days on August 31, and they have appealed to people to reach Khanauri, Shambhu, and other locations on the Punjab and Haryana border.
Following the announcement, Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) will hold a mega rally in Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh on September 1, a rally in Jind district of Haryana on September 15, 2024, and another rally in Pipli on September 22, 2024.
In February, the Haryana government set up barricades on the Ambala-New Delhi national highway after farmers’ unions announced a march to Delhi for various demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops. Earlier this year, farmers’ protest 2.0 began but was stopped at the Haryana borders for several days.
Doubts Revealed
Rahul Gandhi -: Rahul Gandhi is a famous Indian politician and a member of the Indian National Congress party. He is also the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, which is one of the two houses of India’s Parliament.
Lok Sabha -: Lok Sabha is the lower house of India’s Parliament where elected representatives make laws and discuss important issues. It is similar to a big meeting room where people talk about how to run the country.
MSP -: MSP stands for Minimum Support Price. It is a price set by the government to buy crops from farmers to ensure they get a fair amount of money for their produce.
Samyukt Kisan Morcha -: Samyukt Kisan Morcha is a group of different farmer organizations in India. They work together to fight for farmers’ rights and better conditions.
Kisan Mazdoor Morcha -: Kisan Mazdoor Morcha is another group that represents farmers and workers. They also work to improve the lives of farmers and laborers in India.
Modi government -: The Modi government refers to the current government of India led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is the head of the government and makes important decisions for the country.
effigies -: Effigies are models or sculptures of people, often made to look like someone important. In protests, people sometimes burn effigies to show their anger or disagreement with that person.
long march -: A long march is a type of protest where people walk a long distance together to show their support for a cause or to demand something from the government.
private bills -: Private bills are proposals for new laws that are introduced by members of Parliament who are not part of the government. These bills need to be discussed and approved before becoming laws.
tractor rallies -: Tractor rallies are protests where farmers drive their tractors in large groups to show their support for a cause. Tractors are important vehicles used in farming.
Delhi Chalo -: Delhi Chalo means ‘Let’s go to Delhi.’ It is a slogan used by farmers to encourage each other to go to the capital city, Delhi, to protest and make their voices heard.