Farmers raise slogans during the ongoing protest against the Centers new farm laws, at Singhu border in New Delhi, Thursday. (Express Photo: Amit Mehra)Farmers’ Protest Live Updates: The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Friday moved the Supreme Court challenging the controversial agriculture laws, claiming that these legislations will make farmers “vulnerable to corporate greed”, news agency ANI reported. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, on the other hand, reiterated that the government is ready to talk with the farmers and urged them to stop agitation in the “interest of the common people” and take the path of discussion. He further said that the government is willing to make reforms in the laws after talks, ANI reported.
Meanwhile, two senior Delhi Police officers heading security arrangements at Singhu border, where thousands of farmers have been camping for two weeks, have tested positive for Covid-19, an officer said. Hundreds of police personnel have been deployed at the Singhu border point to prevent the protesters from entering the national capital.
The Centre Thursday issued a fresh call for farmers to end their agitation and join the next round of talks. Having rejected the Centre’s proposals, the farm leaders reacted to the new appeal by saying they would continue their protests for repeal of the laws. “We are against the three laws. We will block railway tracks if the Prime Minister doesn’t listen to us,” said Boota Singh, chairperson, BKU (Dakaunda), which is part of the stir.
Meanwhile, the farmers said the residences of BJP leaders, ministers and offices would be gheraoed, and dharnas would take place at district headquarters across the country on December 14. In the southern states, the protests would continue indefinitely.
The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), one of the unions protesting the new farm laws, Friday moved the Supreme Court against the three controversial legislations, claiming they would make farmers “vulnerable to corporate greed”, news agency ANI reported.
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, on the other hand, reiterated that the government is ready to talk with the farmers and urged them to stop the agitation in the “interest of the common people”. He further said the government is willing to make reforms in the laws after talks, ANI reported.
‘I think we will find a solution. I am hopeful. I would like to urge the Farmer Unions that they should break the deadlock. The government has sent them a proposal. If there is an objection over the provisions of an Act, the discussion will be held over it,’ Union Minister Tomar told ANI.
THE PUNJAB Congress plans to hold a demonstration at the Shambu border on December 14 in support of the farmers protesting against the Centre’s farm laws. PPCC chief Sunil Jakhar made this announcement after a meeting with Cabinet ministers and MLAs in Chandigarh.
The state Congress chief said party workers would also participate in the district-level protest by farmers the same day. He said this protest demonstration would be organised to raise the voice of farmers before the “insensitive and adamant” Union government.
The protest will take place from 11 am to 3 pm, he said, and appealed to the party rank and file to make protest a success.
Jakhar said that the state government led by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has strongly presented the “real picture of the Centre’s black laws” before the people of the state who are now standing with the peasantry and giving wholehearted support to their struggle.
"From day 1, the Congress party stands rock solid with farmers as it knows that if there would be any threat to the peasantry, it would have serious repercussions, socially as well as financially, for the state,” he said, adding that these black farm laws would prove just as detrimental for the country’s economy as demonetisation. (With inputs from ENS)
Taking a sip of tea sitting beside a bonfire at the Singhu border, 52-year-old Makkhan Singh Deol tapped on a carton full of roasted gram and said, "The farmers have enough ammunition for the winters." Numerous bonfires dot the GT-Karnal road, the "new home" of the protesting farmers who have been staying put at the Singhu border point of the national capital demanding withdrawal of the new farm reform laws.
A trolley containing jaggery, roasted gram and peanuts arrived on Friday morning from Gurdaspur, Punjab. Another containing dates and gajjak reached the Singhu border on Thursday evening to help the protesting farmers fight the biting cold.
"These are to keep us warm. Come and eat. You won't catch a cold," Deol tells this reporter. He just finished his tea and was now onto 'gajar halwa'.
According to Jagjeet Sandhu from Jalandhar-headquartered Shaheed Bhagat Singh Youth Federation, the farmers get tea, kheer and tomato soup twice a day to keep the cold at bay. Volunteers from a multitude of non-profit organisations have been supplying coffee, tea, milk, jaggery, dates, and peanuts to the farmers in their trolleys and sheds. (PTI)
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday accused the BJP of adopting a "heartless attitude" towards the demands of farmers and said the global response to their protest has "deeply" hurt the image of India worldwide. His party has been backing the farmers' protest against the Centre's three new farm laws.
"The BJP government is ignoring farmers by adopting a heartless attitude towards the justified demands of the agitators shivering on the streets. The global response that is coming to this has deeply hurt the democratic image of India worldwide. The BJP government should stop exploiting those who feed us," Yadav said in a tweet.
The Samajwadi Party (SP) president has asked party workers to organise peaceful sit-ins at district headquarters on December 14 in support of the farmers' agitation, a party statement issued here said. The party is already taking out 'yatras' since December 7 in the state in their support, it added. (PTI)
With some farmer unions intensifying their protest against the central government over the recent agri reforms, the BJP has decided to hold nationwide programmes, including 'chaupal' in rural areas, to highlight the benefits of three farm laws. Party sources said events, including press conferences and public programmes, will be held in most of the over 700 districts of the country in this regard.
The development comes amid opposition parties' united support to the farmers' protest and attack on the Narendra Modi government over the issue. The BJP has accused its rivals of misleading the farmers over the farm reforms and has alleged that opposition parties have been inciting them for selfish political interests. (PTI)
Amid the ongoing protest by farmers against the Centre's new agriculture laws, NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Friday asked the government not to test the tolerance of the cultivators. Talking to reporters, the former Union agriculture minister also said that the protest at Delhi borders may spread elsewhere if no timely decision was taken by the Centre on the farmers' demands.
He maintained that the farm bills concerned were passed in a "hurried" manner in the Parliament despite the opposition parties calling for a detailed discussion on them. "Today, farmers have made the extreme demand of withdrawing the laws first and said the issue can be discussed later. The Centre's position on the same, however, does not seem to be favourable. Hence, there are signs that the deadlock may continue for some more days," Pawar said. (PTI)
Garbage has been piling up at the Singhu border in Delhi where the farmers has been staying put for over a fortnight protesting the farm reform laws, with many complaining there has been little help from the authorities in keeping the site clean. Clusters of piled up paper and plastic glasses, bottles, fruit peels, waste generated from the food being cooked and dirty toilets combined with stagnant water generating a stench, the conditions at the site is worsening.
"Officials from the municipal corporations have been coming to clean the site once in a while, but it is the farmers who are doing most of the cleaning," said Malkar Singh, a farmer from Karnal, who has been camping at the site since November 25.
On both the Delhi and Haryana sides of the border, a handful employees from the municipal corporations can be seen sweeping on the periphery of the protest sites, but farmers say that is not enough for maintaining the hygiene of the site which is seeing such a massive congregation. "The toilets haven't been cleaned for days. There is no help from the government," said an agitated Gurvinder Singh whoc hails from Ramgarh in Punjab. (PTI)
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar Friday reiterated that the government is ready to talk with the farmers, news agency ANI reported. “They [farmers] should leave agitation and take the path of discussion,” said Tomar. He added that the proposal on possible changes to farm laws sent to the protesting farmers is still with them and they have not replied to that yet.
'I think we will find a solution. I am hopeful. I would like to urge the Farmer Unions that they should break the deadlock. The government has sent them a proposal. If there is an objection over the provisions of an Act, the discussion will be held over it,' Union Minister Tomar told ANI.
The Bharatiya Kisan Union on Friday moved the Supreme Court challenging the three agriculture laws, reported news agency ANI. The union claims that the laws will make farmers “vulnerable to corporate greed.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday attacked the government, alleging that it wants the income of farmers in the country to be as low as that earned by those in Bihar. The former party chief cited a media report that claimed that an agricultural household in Punjab earns the highest in a year, while it was lowest in Bihar.
"The farmer wants his income to be as much as that of farmers of Punjab. The Modi government wants the income of all farmers of the country to be as much as that of Bihar farmers," Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.
The survey cited by Gandhi showed that an average Indian agricultural household earns Rs 77,124 in a year, with Punjab farmers earning Rs 2,16,708 annually and that of Bihar only Rs 42,684. (PTI)
Two senior Delhi Police officers heading security arrangements at Singhu border where thousands of farmers have been camping for two weeks have tested positive for COVID-19, an officer said said on Friday. Both the DCP-rank officers are in isolation, he said. Hundreds of police personnel have been deployed at the Singhu border point to prevent the protesters, demanding a rollback of the new farm laws, from entering the national capital. "Two senior police officers deployed at Singhu border tested positive for coronavirus a few days ago. Both of them are currently in isolation," a senior police officer said. --PTI
While Haryana Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala continues to stand by the BJP in defending the three contentious farm legislations, his own party MLAs do not seem to be on the same page with him.
As the standoff between the Union government and various farmer unions continues, discussions on withdrawing support from the BJP in Haryana have started taking place within the Dushyant-led JJP. In the 2019 Assembly polls, when BJP fell short of majority by six seats in the 90-member House, it entered into a post-poll alliance with JJP, which had 10 MLAs. In return for enabling the BJP to form the government, Dushyant had bagged the post of Deputy CM. Both the parties have recently announced that their "alliance is rock-solid" and they will also contest the upcoming municipal body elections in Haryana together. Read more
A DAY after farmers' representatives rejected the Government's offer to amend its new agriculture laws in a bid to resolve the two-week-long faceoff with protesters camped at Delhi's borders, the Centre Thursday issued a fresh call for farmers to end their agitation and join the next round of talks.
Addressing a press conference, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said: “I would still urge the unions to find a way through discussions by withdrawing their next phase of agitation.” Read full story here
The appeal from Tomar came after the Centre offered several concessions, including a written assurance on continuation of minimum support price (MSP)-based procurement and parity in transactions inside and outside Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) mandis.