"INDIA bloc leaders will raise their voice for the farmers": Congress' MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa

Speaking to ANI, Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa says, "The INDIA alliance MPs have met the farmers sitting along the borders, and they have sought a private bill. Accepting the private bill or not is the speaker's prerogative, but INDIA bloc leaders will raise their voice for the farmers."

In February, farmer unions marched to Delhi in support of various demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops. Farmers Protest 2.0 is in motion. Nearly two years after farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh laid siege to Delhi to protest against three farm laws.

Unlike the last time when the main demand was to repeal the farm laws which the government had accepted after nearly two years of protests, this time the farmers are demanding a host of measures from the Central government which they say are required for the financial viability of farming.

Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal said, "... Our stand is clear that the farmers of Punjab contribute the maximum to this food bowl. The farmers of Punjab are so unhappy with the present government that more than 80 percent of Punjab voted against the BJP... The farmers are stopped from entering Delhi and treated like Pakistani infiltrators... It is because the farmers were unhappy with the BJP that it could not win a majority... When you cannot solve problems faced by your farmers, there is no point in talking about achieving a USD 5 trillion economy and becoming the third biggest economy..."

Speaking on the issue of farmers, AAP MP Malvinder Singh Kang said, "The farmers have very valid and genuine demands, which the Prime Minister had committed to fulfilling, but they were never implemented... We will try to raise the farmers' issues in this session and create pressure on the government to fulfill their demands."

Meanwhile, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the national budget 2024-25 on Tuesday during the Budget Session of Parliament.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the Economic Survey 2023-2024 in the Lok Sabha earlier on Monday.

The Budget Session of Parliament has commenced on Monday and is likely to conclude on August 12. The session will have 16 sittings spread over 22 days. (ANI)