Jay Prakash Yadav understands why farmers are protesting. “The laws are not good for the farmers,” said the 48-year-old autorickshaw drive...
Jay Prakash Yadav understands why farmers are protesting.
“The laws are not good for the farmers,” said the 48-year-old autorickshaw driver who lives in Badarpur, South East Delhi.
“Their lands will be snatched by [Gautam] Adani and [Mukesh] Ambani,” he said, echoing the views of protesting farmers who believe the Modi government’s farm laws seek to benefit corporations at the cost of the cultivators.
Until Republic Day, Yadav, originally from Jaunpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh, said he supported the farmers’ cause. But now he has changed his mind.
“If you want to take your rights then do so under the law but not by raising flags at Red Fort and vandalism,” he said, referring to the clashes with the police that marred an otherwise peaceful protest rally on January 26 in which hundreds of thousands of farmers participated. “I saw [a video of] them hitting a policeman with a sword. Isn’t this wrong?”
Standing next to his rickshaw in Jangpura in South Delhi, he opened a copy of the Dainik Jagran, among the largest-selling Hindi dailies, and pointed to a news report dated January 28 headlined: “Grill ke niche dabi Rekha va Ritu par dande barsa rahe the updravi.” The report was about two women constables who were...
