The farmers’ protests at border points of New Delhi have crossed 95th day. Thousands of farmers, especially from Punjab and Haryana, are staging a sit-in protest along Delhi borders. The protest started on November 26, 2020. The farmers are demanding a complete rollback of the new farm reform laws and a guarantee on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) system being retained. Multiple rounds of talks between the Centre and the farmers’ union leaders have ended in a stalemate. Protesting farmers fear that the new laws will dismantle the MSP system and corporatize farming. In this regards, there are also reports that the Biden Administration may impose sanctions under Magnitsky Act of 2012, against the corporate houses of Ambani and Adani, whose associations with BJP are being accused for the human rights violations meted out on the farmers.
Also See: Overview of the Farmers’ unions in the protests
The Supreme Court had earlier ordered a stay on the implementation of these contentious laws, hoping that it will end the protest. The farm-union leaders have also rejected the Centre’s proposal to suspend implementation of the laws for 18 months. On January 26, the protest turned violent when some farmers deviated from a pre-decided route for their Republic Day tractor rally and clashed with police. Some protesters scaled the ramparts of the Red Fort. Several protestors and police personnel were injured in the ensuing clashes. The farmers’ unions also held a ‘chakka jam’ on February 6 where they blocked national and state highways to protest the internet ban in areas near their agitation sites and harassment allegedly meted out to them by authorities, among other issues.
Kejriwal accused the Centre (GOI) of orchestrating the violence on Republic Day at Red Fort as he once again extended his support to the farmers agitating in the national capital against the three farm laws. “The Centre is behind the Red Fort violence, not the farmers. It misguided the farmers who did not know Delhi roads,” Kejriwal said while addressing a ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ in Meerut.
The AAP chief added that he is aware of what happened on the day the farmers took out a tractor parade, asserting that he is the chief minister of the Union territory. “The farmers of our country are unhappy. It has been more than 90 days that they have been protesting near Delhi along with their families. More than 250 farmers have died in these three months but the Centre has done nothing about it,” Kejriwal said.
Amid slogans of ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan (Long Live Farmers, Long Live Soldiers)’ and ‘Kala Kanoon Vapas Lo (Repeal The Black Laws)’, the AAP leader said that the protesting farmers faced atrocities which were not meted out even during the British rule. “And now, false cases are being slapped on protesters. Our farmers can be anything but not traitors. However, they have faced sedition charges. One son of the country is defending the country’s borders, the other is at the border of Delhi,” he said.
