Published 11:17 IST, March 6th 2021
Ahead of March 8 debate, British govt says farmers' protest is India's 'internal issue'
Ahead on UK Parliament's March 8 debate, British high commissioner Alex Ellis on Friday said that the ongoing agitation is the country's "internal issue"
As the UK Parliament is set to debate on the ongoing farmers' protest in India on March 8 at 4:30 pm, British high commissioner Alex Ellis on Friday said that the ongoing agitation is the country's "internal issue" and it is for India to resolve. This latest development comes after the House of Commons Petitions Committee had confirmed that the British lawmakers will debate the issue of press freedom and safety of protesters in India in response to an e-petition that had crossed the 1,00,000-signature threshold required for such a debate.
British envoy on UK's decision to debate on farmers' protest
Brish envoy Ellis said, “As the Indian diaspora grows, and it’s very successful in many countries in the world, you’re going to see more of this. I think it’s one of the things that as India grows, as India becomes more international (and) ever more significant in the world, there will be more debates about Indian issues."
The 90-minute debate on Monday will be held at the Westminster Hall in the Houses of Parliament complex in London and will be opened by Scottish National Party (SNP) MP and member of the Petitions Committee Martyn Day, and a minister will be deputed to respond on behalf of the UK government.
Farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at several Delhi border points, including Tikri, Singh and Ghazipur, since November 28, demanding a complete repeal of three farm laws and a legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP) for their crops. The government has denied allegations saying that it was trying to put an end to the MSP and the mandi system. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also assured farmers that the MSP would continue.
Updated 11:17 IST, March 6th 2021