Mumbai, Dec 9 (IANS): Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Nana Patole on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to repeal the three Farm Laws over which farmers have been protesting for last 14 days and said that if the government does not consider their demand, then despite being on a constitutional post he has to participate in the protest.

In a letter to Modi, Patole, who had resigned as a BJP Lok Sabha MP in 2017 over the issues of farmers, said: "The farmers protest is not a fight for the self-esteem but for the rights of farmers. And it is the reason why the farmers have been staging protest in the chilling winter and amid the Covid pandemic as the laws brought by you are anti-farmer."

It was the reason why thousands of farmers have been protesting against the three farm laws, he said, "I am hopeful that you will think of the farmers and repeal these farm laws," he said.

"If the farm laws are not repealed then despite being on a Constitutional post and being a farmer, I will have to participate in the farmers protest. Thus it is a request to you to repeal the farm laws," he added.

Before being appointed as the Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly in December last year, Patole was the Kisan Congress chief.

A former BJP MP from Bhandara-Gondiya in the state, Patole had strongly criticised Modi, party leaders in Centre and state governments and had quit the party and his seat in December 2017.

He had released a 14-point letter citing the reasons for his resignation and even attacked the Maharashtra government earlier for the manner in which it implemented the farm loans waiver scheme.