Indian diaspora groups in US launch rose campaign in support of protesting farmers in India
Washington, Feb 14: A group of Indian diaspora organisations launched a rose campaign on the occasion of Valentine's Day on Sunday in support of the farmers protesting against the new farm laws in India.
The Global Indian Progressive Diaspora (GIPD) launched the social media campaign on Valentine's Day, which is observed globally on February 14.
Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, have been camping at several Delhi border points since November last year, demanding the government to repeal three farm laws and provide them legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for their crops.
Multiple rounds of talks between the government and farmer unions have not been able to resolve the deadlock.
Tweet or Send a Rose to Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi asking to repeal farm laws or Send a Rose to the Indian Embassy/General Counsel in your respective region to express your solidarity with farmers in India. #Rose2Repeal #LoveToFarmers #OneAppealRepeal, GIPD said in a post on social media.
The organisation also released a letter addressed to Indian Consulates as part of its Love Conquers Hate Campaign.
The international community of progressive Indians, from over 12 diaspora organisations spread across the globe, extend their support to the farmers and their rightful demand to be heard and call for the repeal of farm laws and ask for shared governance in reformulating such laws, a media statement said.
In pursuit of that goal, a broad coalition of partner organisations invites our media partners and fellow human rights organisations to help us amplify voices of support to the farmers and a universal call for peace, unity and harmony in India, it said.
India has emphasised that the protests by farmers must be seen in the context of India's democratic ethos and polity and the Ministry of External Affairs said that some vested interest groups have tried to mobilise international support against the country.
In a statement earlier this month, the ministry, in a statement highlighted that the Parliament of India had passed the "reformist legislation" for the agricultural sector, which "a very small section of farmers" have some reservations about and therefore the laws have been kept on hold while talks are held.
"Before rushing to comment on such matters, we would urge that the facts be ascertained, and a proper understanding of the issues at hand be undertaken," the MEA statement of February 3 said.
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Trump says he ‘hasn’t even thought about’ continuing Iran ceasefire
Washington: US President Donald Trump has said he has not yet considered whether he would continue the ceasefire involving Iran, while also claiming the United States holds the advantage in negotiations.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said he was prepared to make a deal with “whoever is running the show” in Iran.
“They are fighting with each other, there’s tremendous infighting. They’re probably fighting for leadership in many cases. I think they’re fighting not to be leader because we knocked out two levels of leaders,” he said.
Trump added, “When they want they can call me. We have all the cards, we’ve won everything.”
Referring to ongoing negotiations, he said, “They gave us a paper that should’ve been better. And, interestingly, immediately when I cancelled it [envoy trip to Pakistan], within 10 minutes we got a new paper that was much better.”
“We talked about they will not have a nuclear weapon, very simple … They offered a lot, but not enough,” he added.
When asked whether he would continue the ceasefire, Trump replied, “I haven’t even thought about it.”
The remarks come as uncertainty remains over the future of the temporary truce and broader negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
