Farmers write to PM; request him to let farmers enter Delhi, protest peacefully

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 27

The AIKSCC and the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Delhi Commissioner of Police, requesting them to let farmers enter Delhi and protest peacefully in the capital while upholding their democratic right to protest.

The letter addressed to the Prime Minister of India reads: “At least now the Government of India should stop its confrontationist attitude of denying the largest section of our society an opportunity to be heard and sincere dialogue should be initiated. It becomes meaningless for the government to offer talks and not create a conducive atmosphere for such talks to happen.”

Appending the letter to the PM, farmers told the Commissioner that “content of which is self-explanatory”.

“You are aware of the march of farmers from all over India to Delhi and the status thereof. In view of the emergent and urgent situation that has emerged, you are requested to take necessary action and act accordingly, in terms of the submissions made to the Prime Minister of India. We are confident that you will do the needful to facilitate the peaceful and democratic protest of the farmers of India,” they wrote to the Commissioner of Police.

In their letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, farmers ask him to “ensure that the farmers have a free and safe passage into Delhi without creating a situation where any untoward incident is justified later on, as having been necessitated, which will cause a completely avoidable break away from the very peaceful manner that we have adopted so far.”

“Allot a space like Ramlila Maidan where we can gather and also hold talks with the government. Call the all-India/regional platforms of the farmers for sincere discussions with senior ministers of your cabinet on demands to repeal the 3 Farm Acts and the Electricity Bill 2020,” they added in the letter.

The letter is signed by the coordination committee of Samyukt Kisan Morcha, which includes Balbir Singh Rajewal, Daljeet Singh Dallewala, Gurnam Singh Chaduni, VM Singh, Raju Shetti, Shivkumar Sharma Kakkaji, Yogendra Yadav.

The letter reads: “As you are aware, determined and resolute farmers are marching towards Delhi in lakhs from different states of India, including Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and so on, under the leadership of various national and regional platforms of farmers organisations. A Samyukt Kisan Morcha was created in the recent past as a coordination mechanism for this Dilli Chalo program of the farmers.”

“These farmers, including youth, have had to face unprecedented obstacles placed in their way by Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments presumably also at the behest of the Central Government, which tried every possible means to stop them – regular barricades, sand-laden trucks in multiple layers, barbed wire fences, huge boulders placed across the roads and even trenches on the road, water cannons and tear gas. All of this in the cruel winter in north India. We are still managing to march forward, and thankfully without any untoward incident so far. Thousands of farmers have reached the borders of the capital region of the country, and just like we have been resolutely moving forward, we shall continue to do so today as well,” it reads further.

“The nation, and the Government of India, in particular, have reached a crucial juncture when they have to ensure that farmers should not undergo this, and to ensure that no untoward incident occurs in an unfortunate stand-off between our ‘annadatas’ and the government. It is because our voices were not heard and taken into account when framing the ordinances or passing them as Acts in the Parliament that has brought about this situation. The representations given to you multiple times in mounting agitations by farmers and their organisations across India are yet to receive replies from you,” the letter concludes.