There was no respite for the protesting farmers even on Christmas day as they chose to intensify their ongoing agitation when the whole world was celebrating a holiday. Members of the farmers’ unions took over several toll plazas in Haryana allowing free movement of vehicles on Friday (December 25) morning.
The call to make all the toll plazas free for motorists for three days was given by several farmer unions leading the protests at the Delhi-Haryana borders since November 27.
The farmers have forcefully lifted the barricades of Bastara toll plaza at Karnal on National Highway 44, which connects Delhi with several northern states, Gullarpur toll plaza on Assandh-Karnal highway and the Thana toll plaza in Pehowa of Kurukshetra on Hisar-Chandigarh highway. The farmers’ union leaders are also planning to throw open Panipat toll plaza on NH44 and Dahar toll plaza on Panipat-Rohtak highway.
The police deployed at the toll plazas could not do anything to stop the protesting farmers from opening the toll gates. Farmers said they will also hold protests at all the toll plazas for the next three days as per the instructions given by the farmer leaders agitating at Singhu and Tikri borders against the farm laws.
Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni) president Gurunam Singh Charuni may also visit toll plazas in the state. In his video message on Friday morning, Charuni urged the farmers to hold protests peacefully and not indulge in any violence.
Earlier on Friday, a fire broke out in the office of Karnal’s Bastara toll plaza. The reason behind the fire could not be ascertained yet, however, a short circuit is being considered the most likely cause.
Rakesh Tikait, a farmer leader from Uttar Pradesh and the BKU spokesperson, said that the guarantee of crop purchase at the MSP is a major demand of the farmers and the government should enact a law guaranteeing the crop procurement at the MSP.
The Central government has given a written assurance to the protesting farmer organisations on continuing the existing system of procurement of crops at the MSP. However, BKU leader Rakesh Tikait said that a new law on MSP should be formulated. He said there are other issues put forth by the farmers, including stubble burning, which they want to resolve.
On the other hand, there are some farmer organisations that have met the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, voicing out support for the new farm laws. Most of them are farmers` organisations belonging to Uttar Pradesh.