Protest to raise awareness. (Angela Brown/battlefordsNOW staff) 

By Angela Brown

March of solidarity

North Battleford supporters take part in march to show solidarity with farmers in India

Dec 8, 2020 | 2:30 PM

Similar to many other communities throughout Canada, about 20 supporters took to the streets of North Battleford Tuesday to show their solidarity with farmers in India dealing with new laws they say are unjust.

For more than a week, protestors in the thousands marched to India’s capital of New Delhi, and blocked some of the country’s major highways to oppose the government’s new farm laws.

India Prime Minister Nerandra Modi’s government passed laws in September for farmers to market their grain directly to private companies. But farmers are worried the laws will stop the government from buying grain at minimum guaranteed prices, and result in corporations pushing down the prices.

The local group from the Indian community here participated in a peaceful protest raising concerns with Modi’s government’s new laws being imposed they say are oppressive to farmers.

“It’s regarding the forced laws which are being passed against farmers,” Karam Gill, who led the march, said. “[Modi] is taking out all the rights from farmers in one sense, and he is making a third party responsible for buying and selling [at] whatever they want to sell it at.”

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“No farmer is willing to sell their crop to a third person,” Gill said. “They want to do it by themselves. That is the law which is being passed.”

Gill said the new laws will make it more challenging for farmers in India to try to make a living.

“They are making restrictions that they might not be able to sell their crop on the price they are looking for,” he said.

Gill thanked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for standing behind the farmers in India.

“We wanted to let everyone know even Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, he is aware of this fact, and he is supporting Indian farmers,” he said.

– with files from paNOW

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW