Resilience of farmers has won, arrogance of power has lost: Congress

The arrogance of power has lost and the resilience of farmers has won, the Congress said on Thursday, as farmers suspended their over year-long protests at Delhi's borders and announced organising "victory marches".

The suspension was announced after the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) received an official letter from the Central government, accepting the pending demands of farmers, including unconditional withdrawal of police cases against protesters.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi shared a video of the farmers' struggle over the past year and said it is the victory of truth and remembered the 'annadatas' who lost their lives during the agitation.

The agitation has ended but the struggle shall continue, the opposition party said.

Congress general secretary and chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, "The arrogance of power has lost today."

"The arrogance of rulers, who by their sheer numbers subjugated democracy, subjugated the entire Parliament and suppressed the voice of India's farmers, has finally kneeled down before the Gandhian protest of millions of farmers," he said.

The Congress leader said farmers and their unions protested in a disciplined Gandhian manner even though the government dubbed them terrorists, naxalites, goons and anti-nationals.

Farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, started protesting at Delhi border points -- Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur -- on November 26 last year against the three contentious farm laws. The laws were repealed by Parliament on November 29, but farmers continued their protest over their pending demands, which also includes formation a committee on minimum support price (MSP).

The government also assured farmers that a committee on minimum support price (MSP) which will include SKM members will be formed.

Surejwala said the government had to yield to the peaceful Gandhian, disciplined, issue-based protest of millions of farmers and that is a victory for India's democracy.

"It has once again shown to us that however high you may be, India's democracy, India's collective power, the power of non-violence, the power of demanding justice, founded upon issues by millions and millions of toiling farmers and farm labourers of this country is far- far bigger," he said.

"The agitation has ended but the struggle has just started and that struggle is for ensuring not only Minimum Support Price but a remunerative price for crops of the farmers. That struggle is for ensuring that Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) fulfils his promise of doubling farm income by 2022," Surjewala said.

He said this struggle is to ensure that farmers and farm labourers of this country are actually debt free.

"We want to remind the Prime Minister that the excise duty on diesel, the farmer's fuel, which used to be Rs 3.56 during UPA's tenure, continues to be Rs 21.80 per litre even today, Surjewala said.

"We want to remind that the Prime Minister had imposed 5 per cent GST on fertilisers, 18 per cent on pesticides and 12 per cent on agricultural equipment, these have to end, and we want to remind the Prime Minister that the struggle will continue... people like (Union Minister) Ajay Mishra and other leaders of the BJP, where the anti-farmer mindset runs through their thought process," he said.

Surjewala said, "that is why cowardice has lost and the resilience of India's farmers and farm labourers has won, the struggle shall continue."

Farmer leaders said they would meet on January 15 to see if the pending demands have been met by the government, asserting that this is not the end of the movement.

On December 11, farmers will head home from protests sites on Delhi's borders and they will take out "victory marches" to their respective places, the leaders said.