Take farm bills back: BKU (Lok Shakti) chief in letter written in blood to PM Modi
Noida (UP), Del 23: Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lok Shakti) chief Sheoraj Singh on Wednesday wrote a letter in blood to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding the repeal of the three new farm laws that have stoked massive protests by farmers' unions in north India.
The letter by Singh, who is camping at the Dalit Prerna Sthal in Noida along with his faction members since December 2, came as protestors marked the birth anniversary of former prime minister and farmers' leader Chaudhary Charan Singh.
"Take back the agriculture bill, make law to ensure guarantee on minimum support price (MSP) and form a kisaan aayog (farmers commission)," he wrote in the brief letter addressed to PM Modi.
BKU (Lok Shakti) spokesperson Shailesh Kumar Giri said the letter has been handed over to the Noida administration, whose officials have assured that it would be forwarded to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
"I have received the letter from the farmers' union which has been written in blood. The letter will be sent to the Prime Minister's Officer through our district magistrate, as per procedures," Noida City Magistrate Uma Shankar told PTI.
Around 200 protestors gathered at the Dalit Prerna Sthal on Wednesday with more 60 to 70 more members of the BKU (Lok Shakti) from Khurja in Bulandshahr joining their counterparts from Noida, Greater Noida, Aligarh, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Firozabad, etc.
Separately, scores of protestors, chiefly belonging to BKU (Bhanu), continued their demonstrations against the three new farm laws at the Chilla border between Noida and Delhi.
The BKU (Bhanu) protestors, including its national chief Bhanu Pratap Singh and UP unit chief Yogesh Pratap Singh, are at the spot since December 1.
Asked about the law and order situation, City Magistrate Uma Shankar said, "There is no law and order problem as such."
The farmers' agitation, however, led to the continued closure of the Noida to Delhi carriageway of the Noida-Delhi Link Road via Chilla on Wednesday.
The other lane (Delhi to Noida) of the road is open for commuters, according to Noida Traffic Police officials, who suggested the alternative DND and Kalindi Kunj routes for avoiding inconvenience.
The protestors who have gathered in Noida belong to various districts of western Uttar Pradesh, and they want to go to Delhi to join the bigger stir called chiefly by the farmer unions of Punjab and Haryana.
Thousands of farmers are currently staying put at Delhi's borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in protest against the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
They have expressed apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the "mercy" of big corporations.
However, the government has maintained that the new laws will bring farmers better opportunities and usher in new technologies in agriculture.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
India-bound LPG tanker clears Hormuz
New Delhi (PTI): A tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for India has sailed out of the Strait of Hormuz and is now headed towards the country, an official statement said on Sunday.
The Marshall Islands-flagged LPG carrier MT Sarv Shakti, loaded with 46,313 tonnes of LPG and staffed by 20 crew, including 18 Indians, cleared the key shipping chokepoint on May 2 and is expected to reach Visakhapatnam on May 13, it said.
The cargo -- enough to meet half a days requirement of the country -- will partly tide over supply constraints being faced since the start of the West Asia conflict more than two months back.
Ship-tracking data showed its position in Oman Gulf on Sunday evening.
The very large gas carrier has previously made runs between the Persian Gulf and Indian ports, has been chartered by state-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).
Sarv Shakti is the first India-linked tanker to cross the war zone since a weeks-old US blockade of ships tied to Iran began, pushing transits through Hormuz back down to almost zero.
There are as many as 14 Indian flagged or India-owned vessels still stranded on the west side of the Strait of Hormuz.
The statement said no incident involving Indian-flagged vessels has been reported in the past 24 hours. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is working closely with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian missions and maritime stakeholders to ensure crew welfare and uninterrupted operations.
The Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) control room has handled 8,373 calls and more than 17,965 emails since activation, including 38 calls and 127 emails in the last 24 hours.
India has also facilitated the repatriation of more than 2,953 seafarers so far, including 31 in the past day from across the Gulf region.
Port operations across the country remain normal with no congestion reported, the statement added.
