VK Singh says protestors 'don't appear to be farmers'; don't trivialise issues, advise netizens

Union Minister VK Singh has questioned the legitimacy of the ongoing farmers' protests in Delhi, saying thousands of men and women protesting the Centre's new farm laws "do not appear to be farmers". The minister of road transport and highways said the opposition and 'those who take commission' are involved in the protests.

"Many of the people in pictures do not appear to be farmers. What is in the interest of farmers has been done. It's not the farmers who have a problem with this (farm laws), but others. Besides opposition, people who get commission are behind it (protest)," Singh told news agency ANI.

After Singh's comments, Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) hit back and asked if they needed to "come with plough and oxen to appear like farmers" to protest on roads.

Netizens also reacted to Singh's comments and asked him not to trivialise the farmers' situation.

Last week, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar told ANI that his government has "inputs" on the presence of Khalistani separatists in the ongoing farmers' agitation against the recently passed agriculture laws.

Meanwhile, Delhi's border points remained under heavy police deployment on Wednesday, with concrete barriers and multilayered barricades installed at most places, as protesting farmers continue their agitation against the Centre's new agri reform bills.

Yesterday, the government asked farmers' bodies to identify specific issues related to the three new farm laws and submit those by Wednesday for consideration and further discussion in the next round of talks on Thursday.

Also read: 'Bill Gates created coronavirus in secret lab': Historian tells why such conspiracy theories are dangerous

Also read: Most people still wary of 'quick COVID-19 vaccination': LocalCircles survey