VINOD BHAT
NEW DELHI, Aug 12: In a rare show of unity and gratitude, farmers from across India on Tuesday gathered at Subrahmanyam Hall, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, to thank Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for what they described as a “historic and farmer-friendly” decision to protect India’s agricultural sector from foreign dominance despite mounting international pressure.
The meeting, attended by Union Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister of State for Agriculture Shri Bhagirath Choudhary, Agriculture Secretary Shri Devesh Chaturvedi, ICAR Director General Dr. M.L. Jat, and farmer leaders from multiple states, turned into a collective endorsement of the Prime Minister’s stance.
Leaders from prominent farmer organisations, including Bharatiya Kisan Sangh representatives Shri Harpaal Singh Dagar, Shri Dharmendra Malik, Shri Dharmendra Choudhary, Shri Virendra Lohan, and others, expressed appreciation for the government’s refusal to allow American companies into India’s agriculture and dairy sectors.
Dharmendra Choudhary, National President of the Indian Farmer Chaudhary Charan Singh Organisation, lauded the Prime Minister’s unwavering resolve: “India will not compromise the interests of its farmers, livestock rearers, and fishermen at any cost. This strengthens self-reliance in agriculture and rural India.”
Virendra Lohan of the Chhattisgarh Youth Progressive Farmers’ Association praised the decision as a shield against foreign control: “You have assured us that no force can enslave India’s farmers as long as this leadership is in Delhi.”
Echoing similar sentiments, Kirpa Singh Natthuwala from Punjab said the move was a source of pride: “If the American pressure had succeeded, farmers would have been ruined. This decision ensures our independence.”
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in his address, called the gathering “a miniature India” and paid tribute to farmers: “Grain is life, grain is divine. Serving farmers is the highest form of worship.” He announced plans for a new law to crack down on fake fertilisers and chemicals, while highlighting recent welfare measures such as digital insurance payouts under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.
Chouhan also hailed the Prime Minister’s “Nation First” approach, citing the recent cancellation of the Indus Waters Treaty after the Pahalgam terror attack as another example of bold, decisive leadership.
The event concluded with a unanimous message from the farming community — strong support for the Prime Minister’s vision and a promise to stand firmly behind the government’s pro-farmer policies.
