Video Editor: Puneet Bhatia
Video Producer: Hera Khan
The states of Punjab and Haryana on Friday, 25 September, took the lead in the pan-India protests against the contentious farm Bills passed during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, just a few days back.
Among the major concerns flagged by farmer organisations and Opposition parties have been that these Bills will undermine the minimum support price (MSP) system and favour corporate interests at the cost of poor farmers.
The Quint spoke to the protesting farmers in Punjab and Haryana on the day of the bandh, to understand their concerns regarding the Bills, and what changes they would like to see being incorporated in them.
The agitation against these Bills has been going on for the last couple of days, and has been most vociferous in the two north Indian states. Their passage in Parliament was also met with strong protests by the Opposition.
Even within the government, BJP ally Akali Dal’s leader, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, resigned from the Union Cabinet on the day the Bills were passed in Lok Sabha.
The three Bills in question are – The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill.
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