Centre Shouldn’t Make Farmers Protest an Ego Issue: Raghav Chadha

The AAP MLA urged the Centre to have a dialogue with the protesting farmers and understand their demands.

(Photo: The Quint)

The farmers from Punjab who have entered Delhi have been allowed to demonstrate at the Nirankari grounds in Delhi's Burari to protest against the Centre's farm laws. The Delhi's Aam Aadmi Party government has decided to provide basic facilities to the farmers at the Nirankari grounds.

The Quint spoke with AAP MLA and Delhi Jal Board vice-chairman Raghav Chadha who was present at the site to take stock of the situation at Burari.

"Wherever farmers want to go and protest, they should have complete independence. The Modi government should not make it an ego conflict. We have been given instructions by Chief Minister Kejriwal to ensure that all the arrangements in place wherever the farmers want to protest," Chadha told The Quint.

The AAP MLA urged the Centre to have a dialogue with the farmers and understand their demands.

“The central government is behaving in a very arrogant manner. They are not listening to the farmers. One one hand you rob the farmer of his entire farming and agricultural benefits and on the other hand, you are robbing him of the opportunity of registering his or her protest,” Chadha said.

Farmers protesting against the farm laws have expressed apprehension that the laws would pave way for the dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP), leaving them at the "mercy" of big corporates. The Centre has invited several Punjab farmer organisations for another round of talks in Delhi on 3 December.