The Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP), a constituent of the ruling National Democratic Alliance at the Centre, has extended its support to the call for Bharat bandh on December 8 by farmer groups protesting against three recent farm sector laws.
RLP convenor and MP Hanuman Beniwal made the announcement on Sunday.
Congress leader Sachin Pilot also supported the Bharat Bandh call, saying that all should raise their voice for their rights.
'Farmers struggling for their rights have called for a Bharat Bandh on December 8. We all should raise our voice for the rights of farmers,' Pilot said in a tweet.
'The unsuccessful dialogue between the central government and the farmers is a sign that the Bharatiya Janata Party wants to hollow out India's agricultural foundation,' he added.
Talks between the government and protesting farmers remained inconclusive on Saturday even after five rounds of discussions as the union leaders stuck to their demand for the repeal of the new farm laws, forcing the Centre to call for another meeting on December 9 to resolve the deadlock.
The farmers are protesting against the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
Enacted in September, the three farm laws have been projected by the government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country.
However, the protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of Minimum Support Price and do away with the mandis, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.
The Centre has maintained that MSP and Mandi mechanisms will stay.
