Should the government start worrying? Farmers and trade unions hit the streets across states

 BJP workers asked to reach out to small groups of farmers and educate them over tea about the advantages of the new legislation

Farmers protesting the farm bills block railway tracks near Amritsar in Punjab on Friday.PTI

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TT  |   New Delhi   |  26.09.20 : Thousands of farmers in several states hit the streets on Friday to protest against the new farm legislation that was pushed through without addressing their concerns.

The protests shattered some myths and brought clarity to certain questions.

A significant section of Indians is bothered about matters other than substance abuse among some Bollywood figures — something multiple TV channels have been addicted to ever since the Covid and China border crises escalated.

The concerns are not limited to farmers in Punjab and Haryana. Farmers in Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka did participate in the protests.

With several trade unions — upset over the labour bills passed in Parliament — extending support to the farmers, smaller meetings were held almost across the country.

If the Opposition did manage to marshal so much support on Friday, the government should start worrying.

In Muktsar district of Punjab, the Badals of the Shiromani Akali Dal, the oldest among the BJP’s current allies, sought to assume leadership of the protests. The Badals are recent converts to the anti-farm-bill movement, forced as they have been by the wave of protests to take a position. Again, not a reassuring sign for those who feel all’s well in India’s farms.

The biggest acknowledgement came from Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself: he asked BJP workers to reach out to small groups of farmers and educate them over tea about the advantages of the new legislation.