Farmers protest remains peaceful; vegetable prices soar in urban areas

As their agitation entered the third day on Sunday, farmers in many states dumped their produce on roads as a mark of protest while vegetable prices rose in several urban areas. The stir, however, remained peaceful. 

BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha, former union finance minister Yashwant Sinha, and ex-VHP leader Praveen Togadia are likely to join the stir in Mandsaur, the epicentre of last year's agitation in which six people were killed in police firing, on June 8. 

"Yashwant Sinha, Shatrughan Sinha and Praveen Togadia would attend our 'Dhikkar Diwas' (condemnation day) programme and condolence meeting which we have rescheduled to June 8 instead of June 6," said Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Mahasangh president Shivkumar Sharma ‘Kakkaji’. 

The Mahasangh, a federation of 130 farmers' bodies from across the country, is spearheading the nationwide protest. 

In Rajasthan there were reports of vegetable prices registering a steep rise.  "The prices of vegetables have increased 25-30 per cent in the past two days because the supply has been disrupted,” Krishna Kumar, a vegetable vendor in Muhana vegetable market said in Jaipur. 

Vegetables are supplied in Muhana mandi, Lal Kothi mandi and to other retail markets in the city from areas like Sanganer and Chomu. At present, farmers are not supplying to the mandis. The vendor said there was little impact on fruit prices, but vegetable supply was affected. 

Supply to Muhana mandi was 20 per cent less than usual, another vendor Rahul Tanwar informed. In Chomu mandi, vendors supported farmers, and did not open shops. 

However, there was not much visible impact in UP of the 10-day strike, with the supply remaining normal across the state.