Arvind Kejriwal: AAP will stand firmly with farmers protesting against exploitation through the tax system

Arvind Kejriwal: Aam Aadmi Party National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal has strongly reacted to the arrest of party leaders Praveen Ram and Raju Karpada, who are raising farmers' voices, by the Gujarat BJP government. He said that the 30-year-old BJP government in Gujarat has reached the pinnacle of repression. Two Aam Aadmi Party leaders, Praveen Ram and Raju Karpada, were arrested on Thursday for speaking out in support of farmers.

Recalling the Congress party's plight in Gujarat, he said that in 1985, the Congress won 149 out of 182 seats, and the Congress became arrogant. In 1987, a farmers' movement erupted, and the Congress suppressed it. The people of Gujarat ousted the Congress party, which had 149 seats, in the next election. The BJP has been in power in Gujarat for the past 30 years. The BJP has now become too arrogant. The way the BJP has started repressing farmers, the people of Gujarat will oust it in the next election.

Arvind Kejriwal's Twitter Video

Arvind Kejriwal shared a video on Twitter on Thursday, saying that the farmers of Gujarat are deeply distressed and have taken to the streets to demand their rights. Protests have been taking place at various places for the past few days. On October 12th, farmers in Haddar village, Botad district, convened a mahapanchayat to raise two key demands. The first was against the "Karda system." Under this system, farmers go to the market to sell their produce, where they reach an agreement with the trader on the price. For example, the trader agrees to buy the crop at Rs. 1,400 per quintal. They then take 10-20 percent of the crop for Rs. 1,400. However, some traders resort to malpractice and, under the "Karda system," tell the farmer that the rest of the crop is damaged. The traders then offer lower prices for the remaining crop. This exploitation is facing almost all farmers in Gujarat. Farmers demand that their entire crop be purchased at a fixed rate without exploitation. It is legitimate for farmers to demand a fair price for their produce.

Kejriwal: Farmers' second demand relates to the government APMC market

Arvind Kejriwal explained that the farmers' second demand relates to the government APMC market. The law states that when a farmer brings his crop to a government market, the trader will purchase his entire crop there, but traders do not do so. Traders ask farmers to transport their produce to their factories or warehouses located 30-40 kilometers away. In this situation, farmers have to bear the transportation costs themselves. Now, farmers want their produce purchased at the market itself, and the traders themselves transport it. On October 12th, a mahapanchayat was being held in Hadad village, Botad district, where farmers were gathering to address these two demands. However, the BJP government, which has ruled Gujarat for 30 years, brutally lathi-charged and fired tear gas shells at the unarmed farmers. That same day, an FIR was filed against 85 farmers, including Section 307 of the IPC for attempt to murder, and several were arrested.

Aam Aadmi Party always stood with the farmers

Arvind Kejriwal stated that the Aam Aadmi Party has stood with the farmers from the beginning, supporting their movement at every step. Two Aam Aadmi Party leaders, Rajubhai Karpada and Praveen Ram, were constantly present at the protest site and were arrested by the BJP's Gujarat police on Thursday. I want to urge the Gujarat government to immediately meet all the farmers' demands and withdraw all cases filed against poor farmers. If you want to file cases, file them against Aam Aadmi Party leaders. We are not afraid. The BJP government at the center jailed me, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, and Satyendra Jain, but we are back. The government should release the innocent farmers. Among the 85 farmers, there are two or three AAP leaders. File as many cases against them as you want, we will fight them. But the cases against the poor farmers should be dropped.

Kejriwal: All the farmers of Gujarat should unite

Arvind Kejriwal told the farmers of Gujarat that what happened to these 85 farmers today could be your turn tomorrow. All the farmers of Gujarat should unite and take to the streets to get their demands met. Arvind Kejriwal told the BJP government in Gujarat that in 1985, even the Congress government, which had 149 seats out of 182, became arrogant. They suppressed the farmers through lathicharges and tear gas, and the public ousted them in the next election. Today, the BJP's oppression in Gujarat has reached its limit. The time has come when the people of Gujarat are preparing to overthrow this 30-year-old government. Don't be arrogant, because even Ravana's arrogance failed. The cries of poor farmers will leave you nowhere.