Thirty-six British MPs from across political parties, but mainly Labour, have fired off a letter to UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab calling for an an urgent meeting to “discuss the deteriorating situation in the Punjab and its relationship with the Centre”.
Referring to the new farm laws as a “death warrant” for “India’s bread basket”, the letter calls on Raab to make representations to his Indian counterparts about the impact of the laws on British Sikhs and Punjabis. The letter states the protests “are of particular concern to Sikhs in the UK” as many have family members and ancestral land in Punjab.
‘There are widespread farmer protests across the country over the failure of the Indian government to protect farmers from exploitation and ensure a fair price for their produce in the three new agricultural laws introduced despite the Coronavirus.
This is of particular concern to Sikhs in Britain and those associated with Punjab. Many British Sikhs and Punjabis have taken up the matter with their MPs, because they are directly influenced by family members and their ancestral land in Punjab,’ the letter read.
The development comes as farmers have continued their protests at the Delhi-Haryana and Delhi-Uttar Pradesh borders.
The agitated farmers are demanding the repeal of the three farm laws passed by Parliament earlier this year and have expressed apprehension that they would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporate houses.
The government has maintained that the new laws will provide farmers with better opportunities. It has also accused the opposition parties of misleading farmers.
