Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who has often backed the farmers protesting against new agri laws, on Monday took his support a notch up by driving a tractor to Parliament. The 51-year-old former Congress president said that he had brought ‘farmers’ message to Parliament”.

“I have brought farmers’ message to Parliament. They (government) are suppressing voices of farmers and not letting a discussion take place in Parliament. They’ll have to repeal these black laws. The entire country knows these laws favour 2-3 big businessmen,” the Congress leader said.

Also read: Centre will talk to farmers but not on repealing laws 

Soon after the tractor march, Delhi Police detained Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala, Youth Congress chief Srinivas BV and some other party workers for taking out a tractor march in violation of Section 144 of CrPC. 

Gandhi has often expressed support for farmers and targeted the Narendra Modi government over three new laws calling them anti-farmer.

Thousands of farmers from across the country have been agitating at Delhi’s borders seeking repeal of three farm laws that they say will do away with the Minimum Support Price system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.

Despite several rounds of talks between the government and farmers, the deadlock persists. The government is not willing to take back the laws but has often said that it was willing to discuss issues.

Currently, a representative group of farmers is protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar holding what they call a ‘kisan sansad’ to coincide with the ongoing Monsoon session. This is their second organised protest in the Capital. The first on January 26 ended in mayhem with stone pelting, lathicharge and fracas at Red Fort that ended with a religious flag being flown atop the iconic  Fort.

The Delhi Police is taking no chances considering the violence that followed the previous protest and the Jantar Mantar area is heavily fortified.