Have no faith in Modi govt; it's under WTO, US pressure: Shiv Kumar Sharma

Modi's views are pro-corporate. During his rule as Gujarat chief minister, over 33,000 farmers were booked under various acts for demonstrating against the government, says Sharma

Shiv Kumar Sharma, popularly known as Kakkaji, is one of the leading faces of the ongoing farmer agitation. In 1998, he joined the RSS-backed farmers' group — Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) — without realising which outfit it was affiliated to. Despite being a member of the BKS, Kakkaji continued to protest against the BJP-led Madhya Pradesh government until he was sacked in 2012. He went on to found his own farmer rights body — Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangh. He speaks with Nitin Kumar on the protests, farmer demands, and more. Edited excerpts:

PM Narendra Modi, while addressing farmers of Madhya