Farmers Meet Rahul Gandhi in Parliament After Initial Entry Denial

A 12-member farmer delegation met Rahul Gandhi in Parliament after alleged entry denial. Farmers' leaders are pushing for a private member bill for MSP guarantees. Protests, including effigy burning, a long march, and a nationwide tractor rally, are planned to support their demands.

A 12-member delegation of farmer leaders finally met with Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, at Parliament House after an alleged initial entry refusal on Wednesday.

Among those present were KC Venugopal, Raja Brar, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Dharamvir Gandhi, Dr. Amar Singh, Deepender Singh Hooda, and Jai Prakash. Initially, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi accused authorities of barring the farmers he had invited for a meeting. The farmers were subsequently allowed into the Parliament only after Rahul Gandhi threatened to meet them outside.

Rahul Gandhi suggested that the farmers' exclusion could be due to their occupation, stating, 'We had invited them here to meet us. But they are not allowing them here. Because they are farmers, maybe this is the reason they are not allowing them in.'

According to sources, the farmer leaders plan to ask Rahul Gandhi to introduce a private member bill addressing their long-standing demands, particularly regarding legally guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha announced on Monday that they would launch fresh protests, including nationwide effigy burnings and a tractor rally on August 15, aimed at pressing the government to meet their demands.

As part of the protest strategy, leaders stated that a 'long march' would be organized to back private bills introduced by the opposition. The farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' march will mark 200 days on August 31, with public calls to gather at key border points such as Khanauri and Shambhu on the Punjab and Haryana border.

Future rallies are scheduled in Haryana's Jind district on September 15, 2024, and Pipli on September 22, 2024. Earlier in February, after farmer unions announced a march to Delhi, the Haryana government set up barricades along the Ambala-New Delhi highway to prevent their advance.