On Tuesday, Farmers protesting against the farm-laws breached barricades and clashed with police in the capital, who fired tear gas to restrain them, shortly after a convoy of tractors trundled through the Delhi’s outskirts.
Ahead of their proposed tractor parade on Republic Day, protesting farmer Unions on Monday announced that they will march towards Parliament from different locations on February 1 when the annual Union Budget is scheduled to be presented, PTI reported. Darshan Pal of the Krantikari Kisan Union said that the protesting farmers remain firm in their stand of repealing the three new farm laws and their agitation will continue till their demands are met.
Hitting out at Centre for not paying attention to the demands of protesting farmers at Delhi border, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar on Monday said that those in power do not care about farmers in the country. Pawar commented on the centre while addressing a rally at Azad Maidan in Mumbai where over 6,000 farmers from across 21 districts in Maharashtra arrived in a convoy of 500 vehicles to begin their three-day sit-in in solidarity with protesting farmers at the Delhi border.
Also See: An overview of Farmers’ protests-role of Charan Singh
The farmers from the 21 districts have gathered under the banner of All India Kisan Sabha’s (AIKS) Maharashtra unit. The rally is part of the call given by Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), which is leading the Delhi protests, to intensify and broaden the struggle from January 23 to 26. More farmers are expected to join the gathering on Monday. The farmers taking part in the vehicle rally converged at Azad Maidan on January 24 and began a three-day sit-in. On January 25, a massive rally was taken to Raj Bhavan and a memo was submitted to the Governor. On January 26, there will be a Republic Day flag hoisting at Azad Maidan.
Also See: An overview of Farmers’ protests-role of Charan Singh
On Monday, the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee said that they will meet the Delhi Police at 10 am to decide a time and route for their tractor rally as they were not satisfied with the kind of permission granted to them. “We feel that the kind of permission granted to us for tractor rally is not right. We wanted to go to the old Ring Road but we were given conditional permission & assigned the portion that comes largely under Haryana,” said Sukhwinder Singh Sabhra.
The Delhi Police had on Sunday allowed the farmers’ tractor march in the city on Republic Day and finalized three routes after a week of meetings between farmers and senior police officers, putting in place adequate security arrangements. Haryana authorities have also advised people to avoid travelling to the national capital.
Huge security arrangements have been made for the rally, which was scheduled to begin at 10 am
A day ahead of the farmers’ big tractor rally on Republic Day, one of the key participants, the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, declared that it would not stick to the route agreed upon by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha and the police. Their parade, the group said, will approach Delhi’s Outer Ring Road, raising a possibility of conflict with the police which has chalked out the routes from three locations at the border after a series of meetings with farmers’ groups. The rally will mark the completion of two months of protest against the Centre’s contentious farm laws by farmers camping at the borders of Delhi. On Budget day, February 1, the farmers are planning a foot march to Parliament.
(Source: PTI, IE)
