Farmers protest at Singhu border. Farmers’ Protest Live Updates: With farmer unions rejecting the concessions he proposed to end their opposition to the new farm laws, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar Thursday slammed the Opposition parties and others for backing the protests to make “innocent farmers… puppets of their politics”. In an open letter to farmers protesting at the gates of Delhi, Tomar said those stopping trains carrying supplies to soldiers at the borders, especially at a time when the situation in Ladakh is “challenging”, cannot be farmers. The protest by the farmers at the borders of national capital against the three new farm laws entered Day 23 on Friday.
Tomar, who has been leading the government’s talks with the farmer unions, referred to the call for boycott of “Indian products” –– some unions had called for the boycott of products of the Ambani and Adani groups –– and said: “At a time when the country is moving forward with its resolve of Atmanirbhar Bharat and vocal is going local, the intention of these people who have called for the boycott of India’s products must be identified,” he said.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court suggested that the central government put the implementation of the new farm laws on hold, adding that it will enable negotiations with farmers. However, the Centre argued that if the enactment is put on hold, the farmers will not come forward for negotiations.
Meanwhile, days after notices were sent by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate in UP’s Sambhal asking farm leaders to submit personal bonds of Rs 50 lakh each to prevent them from “inciting” farmers to join the protests against the Centre’s new laws, police Thursday claimed the amount was “a clerical error” and will be reduced. But leaders said the notice itself is a means to “throttle democratic protest”. The notices for Rs 50 lakh each were sent to six leaders in Sambhal, mainly office-bearers of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Asli).
It was a few nights ago that the idea of a newsletter in Hindi and Punjabi was born inside a farmer’s trolley at Singhu border, where thousands have been protesting against the farm laws since November 26. Finally, on Thursday night, at least 2,000 copies of the four-page newsletter — aptly called Trolley Times — reached Singhu and Tikri borders, for circulation Friday.
“Judaange, Ladaange, Jeetange!” is the page-one headline of the first issue of the bi-weekly newsletter, which has photographs, cartoons, poems, news reports and opinion pieces written by union leaders and protesting farmers. Of the four pages, one is in Hindi.
“I’ve been here from day one, and noticed that the morcha at Tikri and Singhu borders are spread across several kilometres. Not everyone shows up to listen to the speakers on stage daily, they ask each other what transpired... Through the newsletter, the message from the stage, the development in talks with the government, among other such reports, can easily reach farmers,” said scriptwriter Surmeet Maavi (46), who started Trolley Times with Barnala-based documentary photographer Gurdeep Singh Dhaliwal (27).
With farmer unions rejecting the concessions he proposed to end their opposition to the new farm laws, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar Thursday slammed the Opposition parties and others for backing the protests to make “innocent farmers… puppets of their politics”.
In an open letter to farmers protesting at the gates of Delhi, Tomar said those stopping trains carrying supplies to soldiers at the borders, especially at a time when the situation in Ladakh is “challenging”, cannot be farmers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak about the "beneficial provisions" of the new farm laws during his virtual address to the farmers of Madhya Pradesh on Friday as part of a state-level programme, a senior official said.
An official of the Madhya Pradesh Public Relations Department on Thursday said the PM would address the farmers in the state around 2 pm.
The MP government has organised a state-level 'Kisan Kalyan' event in Raisen district, wherein Chief Minister Shivraj Singh will transfer the relief amount of Rs 1,600 crore into the bank accounts of nearly 35.50 lakh farmers for the damaged kharif crops, the official said. (PTI)
Former union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Thursday accused Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal of indulging in "cheap theatrics" by tearing copies of the farm laws. She said his government in Delhi was among the first to notify one of the central laws related to agriculture.
In a statement, Badal said the Delhi CM was known as a "dramebaaz" but this time he indulged in "cheap theatrics" and "unparalleled hypocrisy" by tearing the same laws in the Vidhan Sabha, one of which he had notified on November 23.
"The Delhi chief minister is only shedding crocodile tears in a desperate bid to wipe away the blot he has put on his name by rushing to notify the farm laws on the directions of the central government. These dramas however won't help.
"Farmers know that Kejriwal and AAP have never supported their struggle and Kejriwal has always danced to the tune of the central government," she alleged. (PTI)
Bharatiya Kisan Union president Naresh Tikait said farmers did not want conflict during the protest against the new farm laws and the issue should be resolved through dialogue.
Tikait said the Centre should repeal the farm laws in public interest, adding that the contentious legislations were not in favour of the farmers.
Addressing the media in Muzaffarnagar before his departure to Delhi, Tikait suggested that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, BJP veteran L K Advani and RLD leader Ajit Singh should be part of the dialogue to resolve the issue. (PTI)
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar in a letter addressed to farmers reiterates that the government is ready to give a written assurance regarding the MSP. He also said some vested groups are trying to create confusion in the minds of the farmers.
As farmers intensify their protest seeking repeal of three farm laws, the government on Thursday issued an e-booklet highlighting the success stories of farmers who have benefited from contract farming after enactment of these legislations.
In the 100-page e-booklet 'Putting Farmers First', the government said it has made clear the "truth" about the farm reforms and has mentioned "what will happen" and "what will not happen" for farmers. It also asserted that reforms in the farm sector were undertaken step by step in the last six years keeping in mind the needs of farmers.
The government asserted that the three farm laws were enacted in September after "two decades of consultations." (PTI)
Another group of farmers reached Noida on Thursday and attempted to move to Delhi to join the bigger stir against the new central farm laws but were prohibited by police deployed in a large number near the Chilla border.
Scores of members of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ambavat) faction were stopped near Mahamaya flyover on the Noida-Delhi Link Road, with the development obstructing traffic movement on the key route, according to police officials.
Meanwhile, protestors from various districts of western Uttar Pradesh and chiefly belonging to the BKU (Bhanu) and the BKU (Lok Shakti) stayed put at the Chilla border and the Dalit Prerna Sthal, respectively.
Scores of BKU (Lok Shakti) members paid tribute to a 65-year-old Sikh preacher supporting the farmers' agitation who allegedly committed suicide near the Singhu border on Wednesday. (PTI)
Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel Thursday claimed that very few farmers were agitating against the Centre's new agri laws, adding that the protests were a conspiracy to malign Prime Minister Narendra Modi's image.
"Except in Delhi, there are no protests anywhere in the country. No one is agitating in Gujarat. Some 50,000 persons from a population of 130 crore want the government to scrap the laws which are passed by Parliament.
"What is the meaning of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha if we have to follow orders of 50,000 persons," PTI quoted Patel as saying.
"Anti-nationals, leftists, Khalistanis, pro-China elements and members of Tukde-Tukde gang have infiltrated the protests and pumping in money to keep the farmers at protest venues," the BJP leader alleged.
"Not even one per cent (of farmers) are against these laws. The Congress is trying hard to incite people but not getting any support.
"Some elements, not farmers, are behind this agitation, which is actually a conspiracy. These elements want to malign PM Modi's image and want to present a distorted picture about India to the world," he said. (PTI)
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs burn the copies of the Centre's three new farm laws outside the Delhi Assembly on Thursday to show support to the farmers protesting near the borders of Delhi.
Gazipur border is closed for traffic coming from Ghaziabad to Delhi due to farmers' protests. People are advised to take alternate route for coming to Delhi via Anand Vihar, DND, Apsara & Bhopra borders: Delhi Traffic Police
National Coordinator of Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh K V Biju has said the farm unions would consult with senior Supreme Court lawyers before taking a decision over the case in the apex court. The Supreme Court is currently hearing a clutch of petitions seeking removal of agitating farmers from the borders of Delhi, citing it is causing trouble to the citizens.
"We'll consult with four senior SC lawyers - Prashant Bhushan, Dushyant Dave, HS Phoolka and Colin Gonsalves," ANI quoted Biju as saying.
With the farmers' stir against the Centre's new farm laws continuing near Delhi borders, the NCP on Thursday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi convene a special session of Parliament to address the concerns of the agitating peasants.
NCP chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase also called for bringing the PM CARES Fund under the ambit of public accountability, contending there is no explicit clarity about the entity.
"We are observing since the last 22 days that thousands of farmers are in the vicinity of Delhi and opposing the farm laws which were hurriedly passed (in Parliament) by the Modi government.
"The NCP demands that the Prime Minister convene a special session of Parliament, where the farmers' concerns and apprehensions are addressed," Tapase said. (PTI)
The Delhi High Court on Thursday declined to entertain a plea seeking aid, security and treatment of the farmers protesting on the borders of the national capital, saying a similar issue was before the Supreme Court.
A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan also said that the high court's jurisdiction does not extend to areas outside the national capital territory and added that the same plea could have been filed in any of the high courts of Rajasthan, Punjab or Uttar Pradesh.
The bench also observed that the plea was filed without doing any research or preparation and dismissed it.
The petition by a lawyer, Ashish, had sought directions to the Centre and Delhi government to take steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among the farmers protesting at the borders of the national capital. (PTI)
Haryana BKU president Gurnam Singh Chaduni at the gurdwara of Baba Ram Singh, who had committed suicide on Wednesday. Sant Baba Ram Singh (65), a Sikh priest from a gurdwara in Karnal district of Haryana, reportedly shot himself at Kundli, near the Singhu border where farmers have been protesting for the past 20 days, on Wednesday. In a purported suicide note, Singh, also known as Nanaksar Singhra Wale, said he was pained by the plight of farmers.
Sukhbir Badal, Harsmrat Kaur reach the gurdwara.
Haryana Congress president Kumari Selja reaches gurdwara.
Delhi minister Kailash Gahlot on Thursday tabled a resolution in the legislative assembly to repeal the Centre's three new farm laws. AAP MLA Mahendra Goyal and CM Kejriwal himself tore a copy of the farm laws during his speech in the assembly.
Many AAP leaders, including Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia, had joined the farmers' day-long fast on Monday in protest against the farm laws. (PTI)
Speaking in the Delhi Assembly, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tore the copies of the new farm laws. "What was the hurry to get Farm Laws passed in Parliament during pandemic? It has happened for 1st time that 3 laws were passed without voting in Rajya Sabha...I hereby tear 3 Farm laws in this assembly and appeal Centre not to become worst than Britishers," ANI quoted him as saying.
Addressing a special session of Delhi Assembly called to discuss farmers' agitation, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, "I want to ask Centre how many sacrifices farmers will have to make, to get their voices heard.
"Every farmer has become Bhagat Singh. The government is saying that they are reaching out to farmers & trying to explain the benefits of Farm Bills. UP CM told farmers that they'll benefit from these bills as their land won't be taken away. Is it a benefit?"
(ANI)
A salon owner provides free services to the protesting farmers at Singhu border.
The highway much travelled is now the road hardly taken and scores of dhabas along the Delhi-Punjab route that once buzzed with truckers, tourists and others say their earnings are down by up to 90 per cent -- done in by the coronavirus pandemic and now the 22-day farmers' protest.
Several dhaba owners along the route said their earnings have reduced drastically with thousands of farmers occupying a 10-12 km stretch of the highway, starting from the Singhu gateway out of the national capital, as they demand a repeal of the Centre's new farm laws.
"Do you see anyone here" The situation has been the same since November 26, when farmers arrived at the Singhu border," said Sanjay Kumar Singh, pointing to the vast expanse of his Rasoi Dhaba.
"We thought the farmers' protest would last two-three days. Now, we don't know how long it will continue. Our earnings have reduced by over 90 percent. It will be difficult to pay full salaries... I cannot even send my workers home," Singh said as his employees stand in a circle around him. (PTI)