Farm law protests: Farmers to block Chilla border today, say will make Centre repeal laws
The Supreme Court is expected to hear a petition seeking a direction to the authorities to remove the farmers protesting near Delhi.
Bharatiya Kisan Union President Jagjit Singh Dallewala has said the farmers’ unions will make the government repeal the three agricultural laws. The farmers’ agitation near Delhi entered the 21st day on Wednesday.
The farmers will completely block the Noida-Delhi border point at Chilla on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is expected to hear a petition seeking a direction to the authorities to remove the farmers protesting near Delhi. The petitioner said that commuters are facing troubles due to the road blockades and that the gatherings might lead to a rise in coronavirus cases.
Tens of thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, have been protesting at key entry points to Delhi. The farmers fear the agricultural reforms will weaken the minimum support price mechanism under which the government buys agricultural produce, will lead to the deregulation of crop-pricing, deny them fair remuneration for their produce and leave them at the mercy of corporations.
Live updates
7.50 am: A faction of the Bhartiya Kisan Union suspends it protest for a month after meeting Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar on Tuesday, NDTV reports. “We have placed a demand before the minister that a new law should be enacted on the Minimum Support price,” the union’s head Pawan Thakkar tells the news channel.
7.40 am: Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar says that the government will call the protesting farmers for discussions, the day they revert with their response to the concessions offered, The Indian Express reports.
Tomar connects the laws to the “303-seat mandate”, the BJP’s seat share in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He adds that the mandate was given to the government to bring change and not just stay in power.
7.30 am: The Supreme Court will on Wednesday hear a petition seeking a direction to the authorities to remove the farmers protesting near Delhi, PTI reports. The petitioner said that commuters are facing troubles due to the road blockades and that the gatherings might lead to a rise in coronavirus cases.
7.20 am: The farmers declare December 20 as a day of mourning for those who have died during the protests, NDTV reports. They say that the government is responsible for the deaths of 20 farmers.
“On an average, one farmer has died every day since this agitation started on November 26,” Bharatiya Kisan Union President Jagjit Singh Dallewala says, according to Hindustan Times. “We will pay homage to all the farmers who have been martyred in this duration on December 20 across all villages in the country. “When their names and photos will reach villages, more people will come forward to join us in our struggle.”
7.15 am: Farmer leader Jagjeet Dallewal says the unions will make the government repeal the three laws, NDTV reports. “The government is saying we won’t repeal these laws,” he says. “We are saying we will make you do it. The fight has reached a stage where we are determined to win no matter what.”
He adds: “We are not running away from negotiation, but the government has to pay heed to our demands and come forward with concrete proposals.”