United Nations: Days after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's speech stirred row, the United Nations Friday supported the ongoing protests by the farmers against the newly enacted agriculture laws.
"We want to see people have a voice in their lives," Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Friday at his daily briefing.
Dujarric was responding to a question posed by a reporter about the ongoing farmers' protests against the agriculture laws introduced by the Narendra Modi government.
"What I would say to you is what I've said to others when raising these issues is that people have a right to demonstrate peacefully, and authorities need to let them do so," he added.
The spokesperson's remarks came after Justin Trudeau who earlier this week while extending his support to the farmers protest, had said:
"I would be remiss if I didn't start by recognising the news coming out of India about the protests by farmers. The situation is concerning, and we are all very worried about family and friends. I know that's the reality for many of you."
Farmers in India have been sitting on protest for the last nine days at the Delhi-Haryana and Delhi-Uttar Pradesh borders.
The agitated farmers are demanding the repeal of the three farm laws passed by Parliament earlier this year and have expressed apprehension that they would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporate houses.
The government has maintained that the new laws will provide farmers with better opportunities. It has also accused the opposition parties of misleading farmers.
Canadian PM Trudeau's comment on farmers' protests was strongly condemned by the Modi government. The ministry of external affairs on Friday had in fact summoned the Canadian High Commissioner to express its concerns over Trudeau's statment.
Against this backdrop, the UN support to farmers' protests is certainly another blow to Modi government's handling of the ongoing crisis.
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