Farmers’ protest: Opposition leaders to meet President, request his intervention

In an attempt to mount more pressure on the government, a delegation of senior opposition leaders led by former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and comprising the likes of NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D Raja would meet President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday and seek his intervention to find a solution to the ongoing farmer protests. The leaders are expected to urge the President to direct the government to repeal the three controversial farm laws – the primary demand of the protesting farmers.

The decision to meet the President came even as former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda accepted that some reforms in the agricultural sector was needed but argued “there is no reflection of reforms in the new laws” and they needed to be scrapped.

Pawar, on the other hand, argued that the new laws have no reference about agricultural produce market committees (APMCs) but even when he was Union Agriculture Minister he had maintained that the APMC Act should stay, though with minor changes. He hit out at the ruling BJP, saying that by highlighting an old letter, which he had written, it was trying to divert attention.