Arvind Kejriwal tears copy of farm laws in Delhi assembly protesting against agricultural reforms

In a message to the Centre, Kejriwal outside the assembly said, "Farmers' protests are going on for 20 days now and one farmer is getting martyred on every single day on an average. I urge the Centre to repeal the farm laws."

Thousands of farmers are camped in Delhi-Haryana border for 22 straight days with the sole demand of the repeal of the laws enacted by the central government through an Ordinance amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Earlier Kejriwal had visited the Singhu border to share solidarity with the protesters. 

One of the Centre's new farm laws will now allow farmers to sell their produce to institutional buyers beyond the regulated wholesale market.

Though the middlemen in the wholesale markets are often accused of usurping the farmers in the earlier agricultural system, the protesters, backed by several opposition parties, fear they will have little bargaining power while selling their produce to institutional buyers, running the risk of getting exploited with the gradual destablising of the mundies.   

The several rounds of talks between the union ministers and farmers' representatives went in vain as the peasants were stubborn in their demands while the government was in no mood to repeal the laws.

Amid the farmers' protests, Prime Minister Narendra Modi felt the Opposition is misleading the farmers considering the farm laws as a revolution in the agricultural sector and freedom to farmers.

Though Modi is speaking in favour of the laws, the farmers' organisation of his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s parent body Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have criticised the government over the issue.

The RSS-affiliate Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) came out in support of the farmers stating the new farm laws will only serve the interests of the corporate houses and big traders.