Farmers shout slogans after burning an effigy during a protest against the newly passed farm bills at Singhu border near Delhi, on Saturday. (Reuters)Farmers Protest Today Live News Updates: As farmers stayed put at Delhi’s Singhu and Tikri borders borders, Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday assured that the government is ready to hold talks with the protesting farmers and urged them to shift their protest site to the designated place at the Nirankari Samagam Ground in Delhi’s Burari. Farmers, who have refused to move to the site, have been demanding a nod for demonstrating at Jantar Mantar.
“If farmers’ unions want to hold discussions before December 3, I want to assure you all that as soon as you shift your protest to a structured place, the government will hold talks to address your concerns the very next day,” Shah said.
Security remains heightened at the Delhi-Haryana border at Tikri as farmers, who are opposing the three central farm laws, stayed put at the Delhi border points for the third consecutive day today. Thousands of farmers were allowed to enter the national capital on Friday evening after clashes with the police, who used tear gas, water cannons and lathis to block their march from Haryana.
Angry at the obstacles placed in the way of farmers marching to Delhi, All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), a grouping of 500 farm unions, shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday urging him to provide them safe passage to Ram Leela Ground in Delhi. Meanwhile, Navdeep Singh (26), who had grabbed headlines for climbing atop water cannon to turn it off during farmers stir in Ambala district on November 25, has been booked for attempt to murder. The police have accused them of attempting to run over policemen with a speeding tractor-trolley by breaking the police barricading.
Farmers' protest LIVE updates: Delhi police is using trucks filled with sand to stop farmers at the Singhu border.
Protesting farmers are carrying drinking water in tankers (Express Photo by Gurmeet Singh)
Farmers at Shambhu Barrier in Ambala. (Photo by A. Aggarwal)
Former Union Minister and SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur tweeted in support of protesting farmers and slammed the Haryana government and Centre for "stifling the democratic rights of our farmers."
"First the ML Khattar government stifles democratic rights of our farmers to demonstrate peacefully. Uses water cannon, tear gas and also lathi charges them. Govt then rubs salt on their wounds by filing cases against them for reacting and removing blockades to move onward to Delhi. Shameful!" she said.
Home Minister Amit Shah has assured protesting farmers that the government is willing to hold discussion with them before December 3 if they shift their protest to the designated place approved by the Centre.
"If farmers' unions want to hold discussions before December 3, I want to assure you all that as soon as you shift your protest to structured place, the government will hold talks to address your concerns the very next day," he said.
In an appeal to agitating farmers who are protesting against the three Central farm laws, Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said the government is ready to hold talks to deliberate on "every problem and demand" being raised by the farmers.
"At many places, farmers are staying with their tractors and trollies on highways in this cold. I appeal to them that Delhi Police are ready to shift you to big ground, please go there. You will be given police permission to hold programmes there," he told news agency ANI.
Alleging that the Central farm laws "threatened" India's food security, several opposition parties on Saturday likened attempts by the police to stop the farmers' march towards Delhi by using tear gas, water cannons and by digging up roads to "repression" and "waging a war".
In a joint statement, leaders of eight opposition parties extended their support to the farmers who are protesting the three farm laws. These leaders are NCP chief Sharad Pawar, DMK's T R Baalu, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI General Secretary D Raja, RJD MP Manoj Jha, CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, AIFB's Debabrata Biswas and RSP General Secretary Manoj Bhattacharya.
"Braving severe repression, tear gassing, heavy water cannons, roadblocks, police barricades and digging up the national highways surrounding Delhi akin to waging a 'war' on our farmers, tens of thousands of farmers have successfully reached the National Capital of Delhi.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Khattar on Saturday alleged that some political parties and organisations are "sponsoring" the farmers' stir against the Centre's farm laws. He also hit out at Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, claiming that despite wanting to talk to him over the issue, he did not respond even when telephone calls to his office were made for three days.
Claiming a "conspiracy", Khattar told reporters in Gurgaon that officials in the Punjab Chief Minister's Office are "giving directions" to the protesting farmers from Punjab. The stir has been build up by farmers from Punjab and some political parties and organisations are "sponsoring" it, he said.
Senior Congress leader expressed his solidarity with the farmers protesting against the three central farm laws. "Raising voice against injustice is a duty, not a crime. The Modi government cannot change the determination of the farmers with the police's fake FIR. This fight will continue till the black laws are repealed," he tweeted.
Farmers have arrived at Ghaziabad-Delhi border in support of 'Delhi Chalo' protest march. "We want guarantee in Minimum Support Price (MSP). We're going to discuss with other farmer groups & then decide on further plans," ANI quoted a farmer as saying.
Thousands of farmers protesting the Centre's new agriculture laws stayed put at the Singhu and Tikri border points for the third consecutive day amid heavy police presence even after being offered a north Delhi ground to hold peaceful demonstrations. Numbers swelled at the Singhu border point as farmers gathered there were joined by more counterparts from Punjab and Haryana and they refused to move towards the Sant Nirankari Ground, one of the biggest in the national capital.
Rajasthan farmers take out procession in Jaipur in support of 'Delhi Chalo' protest. "I ask the govt for open debate & then we'll see if the result is in favour of farmers. We ask them to add another law that will guarantee Minimum Support Price (MSP)," says a farmer.
Delhi Traffic Police has said that Singhu border is still closed from both sides. "Please take an alternate route. Traffic diverted from Mukarba Chowk & GTK road. Traffic is very very heavy. Please avoid outer ring road from the signature bridge to Rohini & vice versa, GTK road, NH 44 & Singhu border."
Samajwadi Party chief and former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav says, "Treating farmers with such dereliction has never been done by any party except BJP. These are the same people who had told farmers that they'd not only waive loans but would bring in policies which would double farmers' income."
Punjab farmers moving towards the national capital as part of their 'Delhi Chalo' protest march, cross Punjab-Haryana border at Sambhu.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday blamed political parties in Punjab and “some organisations there” for “sponsoring” the farmers’ movement that has led to scores of farmers descending upon border areas of the national capital over the last 3 days.Speaking to the media in Gurgaon after presiding over a meeting of the District Grievance Committee, Khattar said, “This movement is primarily being sponsored by political parties in Punjab and some organisations there. I have tried several times to talk to the Chief Minister of Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh, over the last 3 days regarding the movement, but he did not speak to me. We dialed 6-7 times but each time his staff just kept saying we will get it done now, we will get it done in some time.” -- reports Sakshi Dayal
Punjab farmers Saturday refused to stage a protest at Nirankari Park in Burari. BKU Ugrahan, the largest farmers' union in Punjab, said that they will sit on the outskirts of Delhi till the time permission for doing protest at Jantar Mantar is not given.
Haryana Police has booked state Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni and several farmers on attempt to murder, rioting, causing obstruction in government duty and other charges for violations during their "Delhi Chalo" march, officials said on Saturday.
A cases was registered on November 26 under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 147 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 186 (obstructing any public servant in discharge of public functions) and 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) among others at the Parao police station on a complaint from Head Constable Pardeep Kumar as hundreds of farmers assembled on the GT road near Ambala Cantt to proceed towards the national capital.
The FIR names Charuni and several other unknown farmers as accused. According to it, the BKU Haryana chief and others had gathered near Mohra village in Ambala. The FIR says Deputy Superintendent of Police Ram Kumar, who was leading the police team at the spot, asked Charuni not to proceed further but he refused. It adds that Charuni and other farmers broke police barricades with their tractors. (PTI)
A meeting of farmers' union heads is going on in Delhi to decide whether to take Nirankari Bhawan as a venue of their protest rally or not.
The central government may, by hook or crook, ride out the current Punjab-based farmers’ agitation. But the underlying logic of the situation can sow the seeds of a long-term crisis. The existential stakes in this agitation for both the farmers and the government are high; but the possibility of a good faith material resolution of the problem is low. This has the makings of a perfect storm
The propulsive power of the agitation comes from this. The farmers have increasingly seen their political identities being marginalised due to growing economic complexity. The power of unions has been weakened. So the three agricultural acts, which are going to affect Punjab the most, are providing a point of reference for the larger political significance of farmers, writes Pratap Bhanu Mehta.
Thousands of farmers gathered at the Singhu border held a meeting on Saturday morning amid heavy security presence and decided to continue demonstrating there even after being offered a site in north Delhi to hold their protest. Those gathered at the Tikri border continued to hold ground as well. A decision on whether they would head to the designated protest site is expected soon.
After the meeting at the Singhu border, one of the main routes used to access the city from Punjab, a farmer leader said they would not move and continue their protest there. "We will not move from here (Singhu Border) and continue our fight. We will not return home. Thousands of farmers have come from Punjab and Haryana to join the protest," he said.
The price of the messy handling of the farmers’ protest may not be political. Instead, it could potentially delay or derail the government’s future reform plans, whether to do with decontrolling urea prices or replacing MSPs and open-ended crop procurement with direct farm income support. Like the three farm laws, these are again reforms necessary to harvest the true potential of Indian agriculture and make it globally competitive. The Modi government has more than enough political capital still at its disposal, which it should use to constructively engage with the farming community, to talk to it and to listen to it.