Farmers meet Rahul Gandhi day after Union Budget

A day after the presentation of the 2024 Union Budget, which remained silent on the long-standing demand for legalised MSP, a delegation of farmer leaders from across India met with Rahul Gandhi.

The Leader of the Opposition was sought out in the parliament complex on Wednesday, 24 July — where the INDIA bloc opposition leaders were protesting against what they consider a partisan and non-inclusive budget. The farmers' delegation informed Gandhi of various issues they faced in their own states that needed amplification.

Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal, former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Congress leaders Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Dharamvir Gandhi, Amar Singh, Deepender Singh Hooda and Jai Prakash were also present at the meeting.

The delegation included 12 farmer leaders from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Initially, the group of farmers was denied entry to Parliament. Speaking to the media during the Opposition protest, Rahul Gandhi questioned this: "Some farmers wanted to meet me, so I called them inside the office. But they were not allowed to come inside. You will have to ask the Prime Minister the reason for this."

"Because they are farmers, maybe this is the reason they are not allowing them in," said Rahul Gandhi. His remark may have recalled for many the barricading of Delhi borders against the farmers' protest marches earlier this year.

Congress sources claimed that the meeting was scheduled for 11 a.m., but got delayed because the farmers were denied entry into the parliament complex.

The farmers' delegation have asked Gandhi to introduce a private member's bill in the ongoing session, addressing their longstanding demands, said sources.

It is worth recalling here that leaders from the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha had already announced that effigies of the Modi government would be burnt nationwide on 1 August in protest against the budget. As per the plan, the the latest round of the farmers' protest will feature a "long march" in support of private bills from the Opposition.

Protesting farmers also intend hold a tractor rally across the nation on 15 August, coinciding with Independence Day, and plan to burn copies of the new criminal laws.

The SKM (N-P) and KMM have urged people to gather at Khanauri, Shambhu and other locations on the Punjab and Haryana border. Many of these sites were also active in the second wave of farmers' protest that began in February this year, demanding a legal guarantee of minimum support prices for various crops.

However, the farmers were stopped at the Haryana borders as the state government set up barricades on the Ambala–New Delhi National Highway in response to the unions' 'Delhi chalo' announcement. The farmers' organisations then said they would hold a march to Delhi when the barricades are removed.

A recent Supreme Court hearing saw the apex court advise the government of Haryana that it cannot just block a public highway — they can control movement along it, but not barricade it.