NEW DELHI: Even as the farmers’ protests entered the 17th day, the ruling BJP dispensation on Friday decided to launch a massive counter-offensive across the country in support of the three contentious farm laws to assert that the peasants are being misled.
As part of its information blitz, it will organise 700 meetings of farmers all over the country and hold 100 press conferences to convince the people that the three laws were brought after much deliberation and study, the party sources said.
Union ministers will also take part in this communication drive to spell out the government stand on issues raised by the agitating farmers.
In another development, a faction of the Bhartiya Kisan Union led by Bhanu Pratap Singh on Friday moved the Supreme Court, seeking to quash the three laws that the government has refused to repeal.
The Punjab and Haryana farmers, who are agitating on the periphery of the national capital, however, disassociated from the petition, saying it was a nefarious attempt to make their issues sub judice and help the government.
They said four petitions, three of them filed by the MPs, are already pending before the Supreme Court since October 12, but the Bench headed by the Chief Justice of India has done nothing, except issuing notice to the Centre. The apex court can take up the matter on its own, but it has not done so, they said.
The pending petitions have emanated from from Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha, DMK MP Tiruchi Siva, Congress MP T N Prathapan and the Chhattisghar Kisan Congress.
Another petition pending in the court has been filed by Rishabh Sharma, a law student of Delhi, seeking directions to the authorities to remove the farmers from the border, since they are hindering free movement of the people; they should rather agitate at Burari as directed by the police on November 27.
