Farm leaders to call on British PM Boris Johnson to skip Republic Day event

The leaders also said they have deferred their meeting by a day to Wednesday, to decide on a response to the Government's letter asking them to fix a date for the next round of talks. Besides, they issued an appeal to “boycott all stores run by Ambani and Adani”.

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (File)

Farm leaders said Tuesday that they have asked British-Punjabi leaders to appeal to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to not come to India as the chief guest for next year’s Republic Day event till the Centre repeals its “black laws”.

The leaders also said they have deferred their meeting by a day to Wednesday, to decide on a response to the Government’s letter asking them to fix a date for the next round of talks. Besides, they issued an appeal to “boycott all stores run by Ambani and Adani”.

In Punjab, farm leaders hit out at Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar’s fresh appeal for talks and said that instead of responding to their demand to scrap the three laws, the Government is engaged in “propaganda” to promote them.

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Speaking to reporters at the Singhu border, Harender Singh Lakhowal, state convener, BKU (Lakhowal), said: “We are requesting the British Prime Minister to not come to India as long as the demands of the farmers are not met. We have made the appeal through leaders from Punjab who are now in England politics and have won elections there.”

Last week, visiting British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced that Johnson would be chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations in January. Raab also said that he “discussed” the situation arising out of the farmer protests with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and underlined that “your politics” is, in some sense, “our politics” because of the Indian diaspora in Britain.

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Police personnel seen to control the situation during a massive protest over the statehood demand and the inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule, in Leh on Wednesday. (ANI Video Grab)

Statehood protest takes violent turn in Ladakh, BJP office set ablaze in Leh

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