A few dozen protesters raised slogans and banners in support of the ongoing Indian farmers’ protest outside the Adelaide Oval which is hosting the first of the four-match Test series between India and Australia
Gurpreet Singh Minhas told SBS Punjabi that they had assembled in solidarity with the Indian farmers who have been protesting against the recent agriculture laws passed by India’s Modi government.
“India’s mainstream media is not showing the reality behind these laws. They’ve been funded by the big corporates – that’s the reason why we want the international media to give voice to millions and millions of people who solely depend on farming as a source of income in India,” he said.
“It seems like the government is playing at the hands of big corporates like Adani and Ambani. They don’t care about what happens to the poor farmers of Punjab and other parts of India.”
Mr Minhas also urged the Indian diaspora to come forward to support their cause.
Protesters raised slogans and banners in support of the ongoing Indian farmers’ protest. Source: Photo courtesy Mr Singh
“We want all Indians living abroad to put pressure on the Indian government to withdraw these draconian laws,” he said.
“The agitation is to support the people who are totally dependent upon the agriculture sector which is now set to collapse due to the corporate sector’s greed and other interventions.”
Mr Minhas said he is afraid that some people have been ‘wrongly’ portraying this protest as a Hindu-Sikh matter.
“We would request them to refrain from making such analogies as this agitation has only one agenda and that is to support the Indian farmers and their families,” he said.
Tarnbir Singh, who was also among the protestors, said that in fact people have overcome religious and state divisions, to unite for the farmers’ agitation in India.
A group of protesters showing banners outside the Adelaide Oval. Source: Photo courtesy Monica Sharma
“In the past, people from Punjab and Haryana may have spoken against each other on some issues, but they are standing firmly by each other’s side during the farmers’ protest, fully supporting each other.”
Another protestor also spoke about why they chose the India-Australia cricket Test match venue for this demonstration.
“We love the Indian cricket team, and we always cheer for King Kohli. PM Modi is also a cricket lover. We hope that when he and his ministers watch this game, they will notice our presence and realise that it is not only the farmers in India, but people across the globe who are against these laws,” he told SBS.
Mr Minhas thanked the police and other authorities who allowed them to carry out this peaceful demonstration.
“They were kind to let that happen. They assisted us to allocate one special place that we used to assemble, raise slogans and banners to support this cause,” he said.
Meanwhile, farmers’ protests in India have received widespread attention on social media and has now been mentioned by several politicians and serving Members of Parliament from across the world.
Hundreds of thousands of farmers have gathered in the capital, New Delhi, to protest against three agriculture bills passed by the Modi government.
While the government says these bills will liberate farmers and reduce the need for middlemen, critics say it could lead to the exploitation of farmers by big corporations.
To hear the full audio report, please click here or on the audio player above.
Audio courtesy Peta Doherty, South Australian Correspondent for SBS News.
