Farmers Are India’s Food Soldiers: B-Town Extends Support To Farmers’ Protest

Since November 26, India has been in a turmoil as thousands of farmers from Punjab and Harayana have come out to protest the Farm Bill. They have laid siege to Delhi’s borders to force the Centre to withdraw the three controversial bills. 

What Are These Bills & Why Are Farmers Protesting?

Farmers are protesting against the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce Bill, The Farmers Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill.

The Centre believes that the bills will help the farmers sell their produce with their own will, eliminating middlemen who used to gain the most by buying products from farmers at the lowest cost and then by selling them at astonishingly high prices to the consumers. Farmers, on the other hand, are fearing that the Bill will allow the government to snatch away their Minimum Support Price (MSP) that acts as a safety net and provide them enough earnings for a decent standard of living. Farmers have pointed out their concern that they do not have the means to bargain with big corporate firms and these bills have left them at the mercy of private companies. 

Bollywood Celebrities Come Out In Support of Farmers

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Many Punjabi celebrities like Himanshi Khurrana, Harbhajan Mann, and Gippy Garewal have come forward to extend their support to agitating farmers. Bollywood stars are also voicing their opinion against the Farm Bill and supporting the protesting farmers. 

Diljit Dosanjh

Recently, singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh criticised actress Kangana Ranaut’s statements that supported the Farm’s Bill and called farmers as ‘terrorists’. His actions took the internet by storm. The actor was also seen standing in solidarity with them. 

The Udta Punjab actor also gave a speech during the protest and asked the government to accept whatever farmers want and the media to support them. Diljit also added “Hindi main bhi bol raha hun phir badh me Google na karna pade (I am also speaking in Hindi so that one need not Google what I am saying again)” Listen to what the actor had to say here:

Sonam Kapoor

Sonam Kapoor recently uploaded a post on her social media handles along with a series of pictures of the protesting farmers. She captioned the picture with Daniel Webster’s quote and wrote, “When tillage begins, other arts follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of human civilization.”

Priyanka Chopra

Priyanka Chopra retweeted one of Diljit’s tweets and wrote, “Our farmers are India’s Food Soldiers. Their fears need to be allayed. Their hopes need to be met. As a thriving democracy, we must ensure that this crises is resolved sooner than later.” 

Ritesh Deshmukh

Ritesh Deshmukh shared a tweet and wrote, “If you eat today, thank a farmer. I stand in solidarity with every farmer in our country. #JaiKisaan”. 

Vishal Dadlani

Vishal Dadlani also took to his Twitter handle and wrote, “Sikh farmers who were served water-cannons and tear-gas, providing drinking water to the very soldiers who attacked them. The word #Sikh comes from the word for “disciple” but they are teachers of strength, courage, and the true meaning of #Satyagraha. #JaiKisaan”

Some Other B-Town Stars Who Extended Their Support

Actors Chitrangada Singh, Taapsee Pannu, Sonu Sood, Hansal Mehta, and Swara Bhaskar have also supported the ongoing farmers’ protest on their social media handles. 

While the central government is assuring farmers that the bills are in their favour, there are still some loopholes in these bills that the government needs to address. The new bills do not make written contracts between farmers and private companies mandatory while at the same time, there is no guarantee that MSP (Minimum Support Prices) will not be abolished in the future. As per the most recent update, the government and farmers have met for negotiations but have still not reached any mutual conclusion.

Featured Image: Twitter