Farmers protesting the agriculture legislation in India have reportedly that emails will be sent to Punjabi-origin British MPs and Parliamentarians with the aim of pressuring British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson to cancel his scheduled visit to India. Indian PM had earlier extended an invite to Johnson for him to be part of Republic Day celebrations on January 26, 2021.
“The UK Prime Minister is scheduled to visit India on January 26. We are writing to British MPs asking them to stop him from visiting India till the time farmers’ demands are not met by the Indian government,” farmers’ leader Kulwant Singh Sandhu has been quoted by ANI.
Thousands of farmers across India have been protesting against three laws passed by the centre in September even as the Indian government says the laws will help farmers get better prices for their produce. Earlier, protests had erupted across different parts of the UK including out the Indian High Commission in London and Birmingham.
Additionally, as many as 36 British MPs across political parties had earlier written to Foreign secretary, Dominic Rabb, to convene a special meeting with them to “discuss the deteriorating situation in Punjab and its relationship with the Centre”. Describing the new farm laws as “death warrant” to “India’s food basket”, the MPs had called on Rabb to write to his counterparts on the Indian side to convey their displeasure, and the impact of the new farm laws especially on British Sikhs and Punjabis.
