Farmer protest: Protect India's image, says Kumaraswamy

Former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Saturday performed a balancing act over the ongoing farmers' agitation against the new agricultural laws: On one hand, he asked the Narendra Modi government to "protect India's international reputation" by solving the issue at the earliest. The Janata Dal Secular leader also asked the protesters to consider Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's suggestion of trying the new laws for a year.  Kumaraswamy said the protest has begun "attracting the attention of not only the country, but the entire world" and has created an impression that "some trouble is brewing in India".

Instead of the approach of sending an indirect message to protesting farmers through its programmes, the Centre should hold a decisive meeting under the leadership of the Prime Minister to end the farmers’ struggle.@PMOIndia

— H D Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) December 26, 2020

Under these circumstances, he sought a "decisive meeting" to end the farmers' struggle. "This is inevitable in the interest of protecting the country's dignity," he tweet.