Farmers protest against agrarian reforms in India
Ottawa … News Time
The Indian government has reacted to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s outcry against agrarian reforms in India by backing farmers. According to the French news agency AFP, the Indian government is holding talks with the protesting farmers on Tuesday. According to NDTV, the talks between the farmers and the government have come to a deadlock and the second round of talks will be held on Thursday. In such a situation, the statement of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has created diplomatic tension between India and Canada as Canada has a large population of people belonging to the Indian Punjab. The Canadian prime minister released a video statement on Tuesday expressing concern over farmers’ protests, saying “peaceful protests are everyone’s right.” “We have conveyed our concerns to the Indian government through various channels,” he said.
On the other hand, according to NDTV, the spokesperson of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, while responding to the statement of Justin Trudeau without naming it, said that we have seen the statement given by the Canadian leaders. This comment is unnecessary, especially to interfere in the internal affairs of a democratic country. Farmers in states near the Indian capital, Delhi, have been protesting for days against reforms, saying restrictions on the agricultural sector would be lifted. And farmers will be allowed to sell their crops at prices set by the government. In addition, farmers will be assured of a minimum price. However, small-scale farmers oppose the reforms, saying they would put them at risk from large-scale businesses. Small-scale farmers believe they will miss out on government subsidies for key crops such as wheat and rice.
