"we all have to look after the people who sustain us."
Popular TV chef Tony Singh has shown his support for the Indian farmers’ protest and has urged fellow Scots to also show their support.
Farmers all over India are protesting against the new agricultural laws which they say will affect their income.
However, the Indian Government have said the changes will benefit the farmers.
The Scottish Sikh community organised a rally at the Indian Consulate in Edinburgh as a mark of solidarity.
While Tony Singh did not attend due to family members shielding from Covid-19, he has given his full support to the movement.
He said: “It doesn’t matter if it’s India or Peru or Scotland, we all have to look after the people who sustain us.
“These people are the custodians of Mother Earth. They look after the land, the look after us. The way they are being treated is horrendous.”
Tony, who has relatives in Delhi, slammed claims reported in the Indian media that the protesting farmers are “terrorists” seeking to establish a separate Sikh state.
He told The National: “It’s ridiculous, it’s smoke and mirrors. It’s about dividing people.
“This is the weakest part of society, mainly subsistence farmers.
“The strength of feeling amongst the Sikh community and other Indian communities in the UK is very strongly in favour of the farmers.”
There have been protests in the UK, however, Tony has said that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has failed to address that concern.
Mr Johnson will visit India in January 2021 to “build a closer relationship” with the “key strategic partner”.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab held talks over a 10-year “road map for a new era in the UK-India relationship”, including an enhanced trade partnership aimed at boosting bilateral trade and investment from its current level of nearly £24 billion.
Mr Johnson was questioned about the farmers’ protest by Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi.
He asked the PM: “Will the Prime Minister convey to the Indian Prime Minister our heartfelt anxieties and our hopes for a speedy resolution to the current deadlock?
“Does he agree that everyone has a fundamental right to peaceful protest?”
However, Mr Johnson appeared to be unaware of the issue saying his government has “serious concerns about what is happening between India and Pakistan but these are pre-eminently matters for those two governments to settle”.
Tony Singh criticised the PM’s handling of the issue, saying:
“The Prime Minister made a stupid comment.
“It’s nothing to do with territory. The British Government is going to India for trade talks. Will we do a deal at any cost?”
Loading ...