/In a significant show of support for the ongoing farmers’ agitation, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday spoke with farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, assuring the protesters of justice. The interaction took place as a five-member delegation from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) visited the Khanauri border site, where young farmer Shubhkaran Singh sustained a bullet injury on February 21.
TMC’s delegation, including its five Rajya Sabha MPs — Derek O’Brien, Md Nadimul Haque, Dola Sen, Sagarika Ghose, and Saket Gokhale, met with the farmers protesting at the Khanauri border between Punjab and Haryana to express solidarity with the farmers and to understand their grievances firsthand.
During the visit, Mamata spoke with the farmers via phone, reinforcing her party’s commitment to their cause. “Today, a team from @AITCofficial in a 5 MP delegation visited farmers' protests at the Khanauri border. Our leader @MamataOfficial spoke via phone to farm leaders to assure them that @AITCofficial will always stand for justice for farmers. Jai Hind. Jai Kisan,” tweeted Sagarika Ghose after the meeting.
In her conversation, Mamata assured the farmers of every possible support and emphasized that she would raise their issues in the Lok Sabha. She criticized the NDA Government for not addressing the farmers’ demands and insisted that the Central Government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, should heed the farmers' rightful demands.
Mamata stressed that the farmers' demands, including a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP), are legitimate and must be taken seriously by the government.
“The farmers, enduring months of hardship, shared their harrowing experiences and highlighted how the Kisan-Birodhi Modi Govt. at the Centre has betrayed their aspirations and resorted to brutal repression…Our women MPs stood in full solidarity with the women farmers, reaffirming our support for their cause against this oppressive regime,” read the post on the party’s official handle on X (formerly Twitter).
Farmers have been protesting at the Khanauri border since February, demanding a legal guarantee for MSP among other issues. They intended to march to Delhi, but were stopped by the BJP-led Haryana Government at the border, leading to the establishment of a permanent protest site.
The protest turned tragic on February 21, when Shubhkaran Singh, a young farmer from Bathinda, was killed during a clash with the police at the Khanauri border. The incident also resulted in injuries to 12 police personnel. An inquiry into the incident is being conducted by a committee appointed by the High Court.
TMC delegation’s visit is seen as a strategic move to amplify the farmers’ voices at the national level. The delegation promised that the TMC would raise the issue of MSP in the upcoming monsoon session of the Parliament.
Abhimanyu Kohar, a leader of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political), acknowledged the delegation’s visit and appreciated their support. “They went to the spot where tractors were damaged and Shubhkaran Singh had sustained bullet injury. They spoke with farmers,” said Kohar, referring to the clash with the police in February on the border point with Haryana.
