AAP extends support to farmers’ protest on May 26

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday extended its support to the call given the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) to observe a country-wide protest on May 26 to mark the completion of six months of the nationwide protest.

In a tweet, AAP leader Raghav Chadha urged the Centre to immediately resume talks with the Centre and accede to their demands.

“Aam Aadmi Party extends support to call given by Samyukt Kisan Morcha to observe a countrywide protest on 26 May marking completion of 6months of their aandolan. We urge Centre to immediately resume talks with farmers and accede to their demands. AAP stands firmly with the farmers,” Chadha tweeted.

Earlier in the day, three days after the SKM announced that it will observe May 26 as a ‘Black Day For Democracy’, 12 opposition parties on Sunday extended their support to the decision of the farmers’ body.

“We extend our support to the call given by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) to observe a countrywide protest day on May 26 marking the completion of six months of the heroic peaceful Kisan struggle,” read the joint statement issued by 12 major opposition parties.

The joint statement was signed by opposition leaders Sonia Gandhi (Congress), HD Deve Gowda (JD-S), Sharad Pawar (NCP), Mamata Banerjee (TMC), Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena), MK Stalin (DMK), Hemant Soren (JMM), Farooq Abdullah (JKPA), Akhilesh Yadav (Samajwadi Party), Tejashwi Yadav (RJD), D Raja (CPI) and Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M).

The opposition parties also demanded the immediate repeal of the farm laws and the legal entitlement to the Minimum Support Price (MSP) as well as the implementation of the recommendation of the Swaminathan Commission.

The farmers’ body had on Friday written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking resumption of talks with farmers over their demand for repeal of three new farm laws and said they will be constrained to announce further intensification of the struggle if they do not get “a constructive and positive response” from the government by May 25.