London: The British Parliament Committee on Petitions will consider a debate in Westminster Hall in the House of Commons complex on the issue of farmers’ protests and press freedom in India after an online petition attracted more than 106,000 signatures.
While the list of signatories to the electronic petition also reflects Boris Johnson’s signature, in his capacity as a Member of Parliament for the West London Conservative Party, Downing Street categorically denied on Wednesday that the UK Prime Minister had signed the petition.
India has called statements by foreign leaders and organizations about the farmers’ protests “misinformed” and “unjustified”, stating that the matter concerns the internal affairs of a democratic country.
New Delhi’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEA) issued a statement on Wednesday noting that India’s Parliament had passed “reform legislation” for the agricultural sector, about which “a very small part of farmers” have some reservations. and therefore the laws have been held in abeyance while the talks are going on.
Emphasizing that the protests must be viewed in the context of India’s democratic ethics and politics, the MEA in its statement said that some vested interest groups have tried to mobilize international support against the country.
“Before we rush to comment on these matters, we urge that the facts are found and a proper understanding be made of the issues at hand.
“The temptation of social media hashtags and tabloid comments, especially when resorted to by celebrities and others, is neither accurate nor responsible,” the MEA statement said after some high-profile celebrities tweeted about the farmers’ upheaval.
In London, a UK government spokesman said: “Freedom of the media is vital to the protection of human rights, and journalists around the world should be free to do their jobs and hold the authorities to account without fear of arrest or violence “.
“The free press plays a crucial role in our democracies and the government is putting its full weight behind this, including through our membership in the Coalition for Media Freedom,” the spokesperson said.
The petition on Parliament’s official petitions website, titled “Urge the Indian Government to guarantee the safety of the protesters & press freedom”, calls on the British government to make a public statement on “#kissanprotests & press freedoms”.
All electronic petitions on Parliament’s website that exceed 10,000 signatures require the UK government to make an official statement and any petition that exceeds 100,000 signatures should be considered for debate. The House of Commons said the government’s response to the petition is expected later this month and the debate is under consideration.
“Petitions that receive 100,000 signatures will be considered for debate in Parliament. The debate in Westminster Hall, where a debate on petitions is taking place, is currently suspended, but the Committee will make an announcement on the scheduling of this debate as soon as possible, “said a spokesman for the House of Commons.
Some of the petition’s signatories reflect names of cross-party MPs, including Indian-born Opposition Labor Party MPs Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi and Preet Kaur Gill, who have particularly voiced the issue on social media and, more recently, They expressed concern about the blocking of “Water, electricity and internet” to the protesting crowds.
Meanwhile, the Indian Journalists Association (IJA) in the UK joined other international media organizations in expressing concern over the arrest of journalists covering farmers’ protests and urged the Indian government to ensure the safety. of journalists in the country.
“Freedom of the press is an important pillar of any democracy and the authorities must ensure that journalists can do their job reporting accurately and without prejudice, no matter how challenging the circumstances,” he said in a statement.
Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, have been camping at various border points in Delhi since November last year, demanding that the government repeal the three agricultural laws and the legal guarantee of the minimum support price (MSP) for their crops.
Defending the three controversial farm laws, the MEA said, “these reforms provide greater market access and provide greater flexibility to farmers. They also pave the way for economically and ecologically sustainable agriculture. ”
She is a freelance blogger, writer, and speaker, and writes for various entertainment magazines.