Photo Courtesy: Ravinder Singh Bhalla Twitter account
New Jersey town Mayor Bhalla urges Biden to take up farmers' protest with India
New Delhi, February 9, 2021: Amid the ongoing farmers’ protest that has been garnering support from the international personalities and entities, Hoboken, New Jersey Mayor Ravinder Singh Bhalla has written to letter to US President Joe Biden urging the latter to take up the farmers’ protest issue with the Indian government.
In the letter to the president, Balla has expressed concern over the shutting down of the social media handles of the activists, arrest, and detainment of journalists covering the matter, and violence against the physicians including one from New Jersey, who are reportedly trying to provide medical attention to the protestors as well as the police.
“As you may know, Indian farmers have been protesting for months now to protect their rights in what has been characterized as one of the largest mass protests in human history. The farmers view certain laws impacting them to be unjust and are seeking a repeal of those laws. In so doing, they are both engaging in diplomacy and negotiation, as well as protests to advocate for their rights. To the credit of the Indian farmers, they have taken to the streets and advocated for their rights in a largely non-violent and peaceful manner, consistent with democratic principles of free speech and assembly,” Mayor Bhalla wrote in the letter.
“These recent actions are inconsistent with the democratic principles enshrined in both the United States and India and affirmed by the Charter of the United Nations. To this end, I respectfully request that these concerns be raised with the Indian government directly by your office,” he added.
Click below to read full letter:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LA6dqG84Paacyq11W00Xluy-ralX7u7k/view?usp=sharing